F U R A R E T Axx
by b a y o - b a y o
Summary: The moment he stepped into class, I knew my life would never be the same again. Shinigami, Bounto, the afterlife—I'm having enough trouble passing Geometry! How can Toushirou expect me to juggle my life like this and NOT go insane? » HitsugayaxOC
1. Meeting Him

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey-lo, one and all, and welcome to my Bleach story. I haven't posted anything here in so long—I'm sorry! Well, yeah, this is a Bleach story I've decided to post on Hitsugaya's birthday (December 20)—but slightly different from most of the storylines I've ever thought of.

This is more focused on the modern sha-bangs of life (high school, the living world, all that fun stuff)—in the beginning, anyway. But that doesn't mean there won't be any action in the beginning—no, there's a lot. xD Just not in this chapter. This is my introduction chapter—the chapter where I introduce some of my main characters before shuffling in the rest. I'm hoping to have fun with this story, and I do hope you guys like it, as well; it'll be a little eventless for the first couple chapters, but I promise it'll get better!

As for pairings… yes, this will contain romance. I'm a romance freak—I love it to death! And in this story, there'll be a lot of triangles, tragedies, heartbreaks… and lots of things to make the whole story twist! I can't wait to stun people with them. :3 My main pairing, however, will most definitely be **Hitsugaya x OC**. I love canon x OC, don't ask me why. Other pairings will be coming in, as well, so don't fret. xD And don't forget—TRIANGLES. :D After reading this chapter, you should know the Hitsugaya x OC pairing will take a while to build up. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!I hope you guys do like—and if you do, please review! There's nothing I love more than hearing my readers' feedbacks. So please let me know what you think, or if I need to improve on something!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. :D I only own this story, my characters, and this here plot.

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_-- _

**CHAPTER 0 N E :**_  
"Meeting Him"_

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"Hitsugaya Toushirou."

As soon as he stepped into class, the red flag of alarm raised in my head. Toushirou was a new student to Karakura Junior High, and if you judged by first glance, he didn't look _at all_ suspicious—save for the unusually white hair (probably bleached), tanned skin, and big, bright green eyes (and if you didn't notice, I was being sarcastic about the non-suspicious part). Kaminari-sensei, our Geometry teacher (and the meanest teacher yet to ever grace Karakura), instead of exhibiting her nasty mood like she always did on Mondays, looked like an absolute angel as she introduced the boy to class. That was what first triggered my wariness.

Never in my life had I seen old-fashioned, crabby, and squeaky Kaminari-sensei talk nice to _anybody._ This Toushirou must have brain-washed her or something.

He stood there looking serene and inauspicious in the school uniform—which, unfortunately, looked absolutely gorgeous on him. I guess you can say that he was pretty much _all_ gorgeous. Why, you ask? Using your imagination's eye, take a look at my class: everyone (especially the girl population) had already fallen for him out of default. The hearts in their eyes gave them away. It took a few seconds for his full image to sink in, but when it did, basically everyone was on a field trip to cloud nine. So, according to my calculations (and pure logic, really), Hitsugaya Toushirou looked like he was ripped right out of a models magazine.

I felt a nudge at my side. It was Yukita, one of my best friends. "Isn't he gorgeous, Megu-chan? He looks like he was ripped right out of a models magazine!"

With a small sigh, I stared numbly at my love-struck friend. Point taken. I turned back to our mysterious new classmate. Kaminari-sensei was harping on about some nonsense; we were supposed to have a test today, but because of Toushirou's arrival, it would be postponed until tomorrow. I narrowed my eyes at him. I had been studying for that test for _four days_—four days of my life, for this climatic conclusion—and he was going to be the reason I'd fail tomorrow. I'd forget everything tonight, and I'd never be able to get it all back.

I didn't like him.

We made eye contact. Teal eyes burned into mine, and we stood (well, I sat) glaring at each other (with me doing the glaring) for a few seconds. He turned away. I supposed you could call him intimidating, too. His form and build wasn't exactly sumo material, but just the way he looked around and stood like that—so well-composed and calm—had already earned him a little respect. I remember the first time I came to this school; I completely broke down stuttering and shaking in front of my class and I was made fun of for months. But not him—Toushirou was perfect.

He _was_ an unusual sight, though. Snow white hair—the purest tint I'd ever seen—sat atop his head with a silky tress of his bangs falling over his left eye. His skin had a surfer-boy tan, which nicely complimented his hair. Muscles were well-defined in his arms and legs, and his build was both skinny and toned. What made his appearance worse (well, better, actually—I'm being mean) was the uniform that flattered his form. It looked like the high school's uniform—in fact, it was just like the high school's uniform, except ours had a long-sleeved shirt for the late fall season. A yellow-striped blue tie, a cotton yellow vest (with the school's insignia in the top corner), gray pants, black shoes—imagine all of it on Toushirou, and he was absolutely darling.

My dislike for him excelled to intolerance. Yellow looked horrible on me.

According to Kaminari-sensei, Toushirou had transferred to Karakura Junior High from America yesterday with his sister, who was going to the college in Karakura. They lived by themselves somewhere in the city. Why he would leave America, where tons of high-ranked colleges and schools resided, for this school was beyond me. I've always wanted to go to America for schooling…

Finally the crabby teacher let the boy sit down. Her glossy, over-gelled black bun shone like the sun under the dim light as she turned to him. "There's a vacant seat behind Nagasuki for you to sit," she spoke in a (FAKE) sweet voice that made me want to gag. Dumb Toushirou and his charm—he didn't even say anything but his name, and the teacher already loved him! I sat with my chin propped over my fist, watching the short lad search around until he found the seat he was assigned. I froze as he came my way—and it was then that I remembered that I was Nagasuki. I wanted to slap myself for my absent-mindedness.

I slowly turned around, and sure enough, no one else occupied that seat. No one except… that one girl. What was her name again? Takara Gina—the shy, sweet, smart, and stunning girl. She rarely spoke a word to anyone but her friends, but she was always there to lend a hand to anyone in need of advice… or tutoring, like me. I didn't notice her leave; when did she transfer out? Surely I would've paid attention to the announcement…

"Nagasuki, please turn around and quit intimidating our new student."

I bit my tongue in surprise. Hitsugaya had already seated himself and was staring at me as if I were an idiot. I blushed in embarrassment and spun back around. The lecture began. Geometry had always been a puzzling thing for me; never did I understand the complex functions of it. Proofs, angles, measurements, theorems—it was like gibberish to me. I was lucky I wasn't put back in the Algebra class because of all the quizzes and tests I've bombed, but I guess it wouldn't help if I were put back in a class that wasn't related to Geometry at all…

With my head in my palm, I scribbled down notes from her monotone teaching. The marker she was using squeaked obnoxiously against the whiteboard and I seriously wanted to snap it in half. The clock above the board ticked too slowly, and I (as well as everyone else) waited impatiently for the hand to hit nine-thirty. One more second passed—and finally the bell rang. Everyone sprung up from their seats as if they were jack-in-the-boxes.

Kaminari-sensei sighed in aggravation, capping her annoying (yet favorite) marker. "I guess that's all for today. Now, to make up for lost time, your homework will be doubled…"

Every one groaned in unison.

I, being the forgetful and stupid girl I was, forgot my messenger bag and I had to resort to carrying all my books from class to class. I would use a locker, but my assigned one was inconveniently located, literally, on the whole other side of the freaking school that I never visited. With a whiny pout I scooped up my belongings (which were a lot—six books, all being about ten inches thick!) and carefully weaved my way down the aisle when everyone else had left—just for their own safety. I noticed Toushirou by Kaminari-sensei, asking her something. His voice was quiet, but it was very easy to pick out in a crowd. Or anywhere, really.

"Nagasuki, wait a moment, please."

I paused at her false kind voice again. Resisting the urge to totally break down in frustration, I turned as carefully as I could to face her. "Yes ma'am?"

She pushed the bridge of her glasses up until they were back far on her nose. "You have History next, correct? Please escort Hitsugaya on your way. We wouldn't want him to get lost."

I frowned. Someone up there must not be happy with me. Couldn't she see that I was about to fall over from all the excess weight? Couldn't she call one of his new fan girls over to help him instead? Biting back my sigh I turned to Hitsugaya; I could see faint amusement in his teal eyes as he noticed my reluctance to do anything—at least, in the state I was in. Nonetheless I blew a strand of hair from my face and carefully branched on my heel. "Sure, why not. Follow me, um, Hitsugaya-san."

As soon as we were out of the class, I fell back against the wall to steady myself. I didn't want to do it, but I knew that if I didn't get assistance, I was going to look like a total dork walking through school. Toushirou stood before me, wondering what I was doing. "Hey, um, can you do me a favor…?" I asked, staring sheepishly up at him.

"What?" For the first time today he was talking to me—and for the first time (well, second, I guess—besides the time he walked into class), I actually accepted how good-looking he was.

I still don't like him.

"Can you help me carry some of my books to class? I wouldn't have asked you if I remembered my messenger bag from home, but it was dirty and I left it in the wash… I woke up late this morning and I had to leave it so I wouldn't be tardy. I'd carry it all myself if I weren't so clumsy, and I'm sure I'd trip or something if I carried them all. If you don't want to, I understand…" I tended to ramble when asking favors from people, sorry.

Hitsugaya answered me by holding out his arms. "I guess," he responded nonchalantly. I stared at him for a few seconds; nope, he definitely wasn't social.

My dislike for the guy subsided momentarily, and I smiled at him and handed him half of my things. He held them all easily in his faintly toned arms. "Thanks."

As we walked down the hallway side-by-side, I tried to ignore the various stares and glares shooting from passer-bys in the area. Whispers were loud but incoherent, and I could here so many 'lucky!' comments that I wanted to shout to make sure no one got any ideas. Why did I have to forget my bag _today_, of all days? A pout spread across my face and I glanced toward Toushirou; he was just staring ahead. I could only imagine the rumors that would be spread…

I cleared my throat nervously. "Um… so, not very social, are you?" Oh, smooth words, Megumi.

"No," Toushirou responded. He balanced my books in one of his arms as the other caught my shoulder before I fell on my face over a crack in the tile. "Not very balanced, are you?" he asked. There wasn't even a _trace_ of sarcasm in him. This guy was pro.

I held back an annoyed grunt. "No," I mimicked him, making sure I stepped over anything that might cause me bodily harm. Apparently, that was everything this school had to offer. Hitsugaya followed me with a mildly amused expression.

"Can I ask you something?" I inquired suddenly.

"What?"

"Your white hair, your green eyes, your tan skin… is it all natural?"

We both paused at the same time. "Yes," he responded after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Oh."

We kept walking.

We didn't say another word until we got to Kouji-sensei's History class. Kouji-sensei was my favorite teacher in the school. He was nice, considerate, knew how we kids operated; he communicated with us, and actually cared about us. If I weren't into the whole student and teacher pairing, I think I'd have a crush on him. History was downstairs, and probably the farthest class I had in school. I know that I would get lost my first day here… unfortunately, though, I didn't have a tour guide, unlike our magical new student here, so I ended up getting lost on my first day. But that was a totally different story…

"Thank you," Toushirou politely said as we reached the door. He dropped the remainders of my books onto my growing stack and sauntered inside. His heavy-looking backpack bobbed as he walked. With a small sigh, I followed him.

For some reason, class went by very fast. History was one of my favorite subjects—in fact, probably my only favorite—and it always went by slow for me because I liked it so much and savored every second of it. Kouji-sensei was a great, comical teacher. He'd keep our attentions by telling us his own life story and using illustrations to train our mind's eye; whenever he talked, I could just picture a scene in my head. If it weren't for him, I think I'd hate History, too. But it felt like as soon as I sat down, the bell had rung again. Before I knew it, everyone was getting up and got ready for their next class. I watched, dazed—until I realized I was alone in the class, and I had nothing written in my notebook.

I looked to the front of the class. Toushirou wasn't in his seat anymore—I guess he didn't need another escort.

My sister packed my lunch today. She was only seven (I wonder how pathetic that made me sound?), but she was a fabulous cook; me and my uncle adored her and her cooking. Today she made me her famous pork bao's. I sat quietly munching on my food as my two friends sat chatting across from me. We were a trio—Yukita, Riana, and I—and we were always together. Yukita was the school newspaper editor and she had the scoop on everyone and everything in the school. Popular, beautiful, and possessing a silver tongue, she knew how to get what she wanted all the time. Riana was the opposite; she was a quiet, sweet, and pretty girl. She was very smart and very athletic, much to a lot of peoples' surprises. I loved talking to her about anything, because she always knew exactly what to say. I was just… me. Sarcastic, annoying, and extremely clumsy… you get it.

"So, Megu-chan, what do you think of him?" Yukita asked me, giving me a coy smile. Riana glanced at me with her signature sweet grin.

I swallowed, completely oblivious to who she was talking about. "Who?"

"Oh, you know who!" the chocolate-haired girl responded, arching a brow at me unbelievingly. When I didn't respond, she rolled her eyes. "Toushirou, of course! He's already deemed the cutest guy in the school—ten girls have already fallen for him! Including our little friend here…"

I choked on my food. Ten girls? What was it with this guy? Sure he was cute—but nobody knew him! At least… I don't think… "He's okay… a little strange, though. He doesn't like to talk," I shrugged. I stared at Yukita, who was smirking at Riana.

"It seemed like you were already making moves on him, Megu-chan, asking him to carry your books and everything."

"Did you want me to fall flat on my face and embarrass myself?"

"… Good point." The girl turned to red-faced Riana, nudging her playfully. "See, Ri-chan, Megu-chan would never turn on you!"

I turned to Riana. "Wait. You…?"

"It was love ever since he walked into Geometry!" Yukita exclaimed excitedly, latching onto the blushing girl. Riana, in a panicked frenzy, tried to shush her friend before anyone else heard. I watched them, bemused as I quietly finished my lunch. It was amazing how popular Hitsugaya was already, and he hasn't even been here for a day! With a small smile on my face, I glanced to Riana; she truly did have her first crush. I guess I couldn't judge him anymore if she liked him—surely there must be something good about him. I took the last bite of my bao.

The rest of school time passed by really fast—almost too fast. I enjoyed it though. Soon enough I was on my way home, ready to crash for the night.

As soon as I got home I spent hours on my homework. There was extra from Geometry (ick), a little History, a project for Science that I eventually had to think about (although I'll probably end up doing it on the night before due-time). My P.E. test was on Wednesday, my English quiz was tomorrow (I think I'm ready), and I had my music class taken care of… so I was pretty much set after math and history. It was almost nine o'clock—I was getting ready for bed—before I heard a knock at my door. Slowly it slid open, and a sandy-blonde head poked inside.

"Nee-chan…? Are you asleep?" My sister's timid voice inquired, her milky lavender eyes searching around for me. Metsuki, my seven-year-old sister, was born blind—and maybe that was the only downfall to her. She was adorable with sand-colored hair, porcelain skin, and beautiful lavender eyes, indicating that she was going to be a beauty when she came of age. I was jealous of her especially because of her boldness; she was proud that she was blind. Sure, she's always wanted to see, but she's accepted the fact that she never will be able to and therefore adapted to her life with contentment. Practical jokes centering on her blindness didn't faze her; in fact, she laughed along with them. Metsuki sure didn't act like a child; she was more mature than I was at times, and was basically my best friend.

I smiled and motioned her in. Of course she didn't see me. "Come on in, kiddo," I responded, reaching for her hand when she wandered closer. She plopped next to me on my bed, clutching my hand. The thing with Metsuki was that she loved holding hands—whether it was with a girl or a boy. It made her feel like she could talk to them easier. "What's up?"

"Oji-chan says that you don't like your new classmate," Metsuki laughed, her face turned to me.

I pouted. Loud-mouthed uncle… "Yeah… He's strange, though. I don't feel anything good coming from him," I sighed, folding my arms across my chest at the thought of him. "He's short, has white hair, green eyes… and he smells like watermelonds."

"Ah, you mean Toushirou?" she asked.

I stared at her incredulously. "You met him?"

"Yeah, when I was running errands today after school. He helped me out," she happily responded. "He's really nice. Is he good-looking? I heard that ten girls have already fallen for him." Word really spreads fast around here. Apparently, I couldn't keep up with Yukita's gossip. I didn't even know it extended to the elementary schools…

"I guess he isn't bad-looking," I shrugged, indifferent. "There's something about him, though, that bothers me. I don't know what." With Metsuki, I could talk about anything and everything.

"Your taste is so strange, nee-chan; when _will_ you find a guy you like?" Metsuki laughed, as I pouted. "Or are you still smitten with Hikaru-san?" When I was silent, she giggled again. "Ah, I see."

I blushed—Minamoto Hikaru, Riana's older brother. I'd had a crush on him since last year, when he first came; but only Metsuki knew about that. I made her swear to secrecy or I'd ring her pretty little neck. I never was one for having crushes…

"Have you met his older sister?" Metsuki asked. I shook my head. "Oh…" she grinned silently. "You'll like her. She's very active and sweet; Toushirou and she have rarely anything in common."

I blinked at her. How did she know Toushirou _and_ his sister? Well… Metsuki always _was_ talkative.

"Don't worry, nee-chan; I have a good feeling about those two. I sense nothing bad from them," Metsuki grinned.

"If you say so…" I murmured, unconvinced.

We spent the rest of the night (until bed-time) talking about random things; how our days went, all of our friends, the homework we had, what we had for lunch. She seemed to really like Hitsugaya; when she told me about how they met, she was so cutely enthusiastic. Apparently they met sometime later in the day (which was strange, considering he supposedly left sick during Science; I didn't say anything though) and he helped her gather whatever things needed to complete her errands. 'Kind' and 'mysterious' were the main words she used to describe him. I'd use those words, except for 'kind.'

I'm so mean, aren't I? He hasn't even been directly mean to me… yet.

I don't know; why do I dislike him so much? I usually loved meeting new people. I wonder what was wrong with Hitsugaya? Ah, I'll get over it—it's only the first day. I'll get to know him and we'll be best friends by the end of next week! … Pssh, yeah right.

I don't want all the female bodies of the school wanting to rip my guts out.

When the clock chimed ten o'clock, I bid Metsuki goodnight and prepared for bed. Outside, the moonlight shined in silver rays through my window, casting a square of light on my carpet. I gazed out at the midnight blue sky and smiled; I loved night-time, maybe just because of the stars. It was very dark, and it revealed the presence of the stars. I stared at them for a moment, and sighed dreamily, dropping the curtains. I wandered over to my bed.

I really was exhausted, even after a half-hour nap; I didn't even realize how much until I was immediately sent to lala-land the second my eyes closed.

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**A/N: **That's it for the first chapter. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! It'll be more un-boring the next time I write, I promise. :D And until that time, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please don't be afraid to review! I'll love you to pieces if you do, and thank you personally!

Oh yeah—and HAPPY BIRTHDAY HITSUGAYA!

-- Bayo-bayo, signing out


	2. Growing Suspicion

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey guys! I didn't expect so many reviews on my first chapter (because I honestly thought it stunk), but thank you guys so, so much for proving me wrong. I was so pleased that I had this chapter up in two days—and look how long it is! My fingers hat me now. Can you guess why I chose today to update? I'll let you guess while reading this chapter, and I'll let you know at the end.

Sorry there isn't much action in this story—but I did bring in a character that everyone loves. ;3 I'm trying to pass by the boring beginning parts of the story before I stun you all with my plot (just kidding, you guys will probably think it's retarded). You know how stories are; they begin with boredom, but they eventually get better. I hope that's the case with Furareta!

Thanks so much again for the reviews, everyone—I had a response for all of you at the end of the chapter. So read and enjoy, and please review again!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Bleach, unfortunately. D:

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W 0 :**_  
"Growing Suspicion"_

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I woke up early the next morning. The sun was just barely peaking over the misty mountaintops in the distance when my eyes slowly fluttered open. I wearily blinked until my vision was clear before they swept to my alarm clock. It's blinding red digits blinked six o'clock in the morning. What kind of ungodly individual woke up at five without any reason? Groaning, I rolled around and covered my head with my pillow. I had fallen asleep late last night because of my homework; the logical result would be me waking up late again. And you know what I hated the most about this scenario?

I couldn't fall back asleep.

I didn't want to believe it until I slowly sat up, hugging a pillow to my chest. Fifteen minutes had passed, and I wearily yawned. "Tuesdays stink," I decided as I climbed out of my mess of a bed, succeeding in trapping my foot in my blanket and falling flat on my face. The one thing I hated about having my room in an attic was the fact that there was no carpet. With tears in my eyes I rubbed my nose and got back up. My room was a quaint, cute little room. My bed was in the corner opposite my door, and my nightstand was next to it. I had a homework desk sitting in the opposite corner to the right of my big window. I loved my window; it had a wide sill, big enough for someone to sit on. A bean bag chair was in the other corner, and a round rug sat in the middle of unoccupied space; and that was all. All in all, my room was pretty plain and cozy, but I loved it.

Sitting in my favorite spot, the window sill, I hugged my knees to my chest and stared out the window. Karakura was always the most quiet and serene in the mornings. The neighborhood was quiet (we lived in the countryside) and no one was out; it was pretty peaceful. Too bad I wasn't a morning person—otherwise, I would be enjoying this.

I didn't know how long I was sitting there until the sun raised high enough to begin blinding me. Shielding my eyes with a disgruntled grunt, I twirled on my rear to slide off—until a mess of white caught my eye. I paused in mid-twirl and glanced down my open window. It was a messy white bush that sat on a tan stump… and it had legs and arms. I blinked several times, my mind trying to name what it was. Finally it came to me, and my eyes widened as I leaped off my sill, scraping my knees on the hard wooden floor. With my fingers clutching the ledge, my eyes peeked barely over the top and I gazed down.

Toushirou was wandering around outside.

At least, I _think_ it was him. Who else had white hair and tan skin like him? He looked like he had just woken up, to be honest; his clothes were dirty and his expression was weary and exhausted. What was he doing up this early (not that I was in the position to ask)? I stared at him longer; he looked hungry, too. What a strange guy; how long has he been out there? Was he taking a morning walk?

I ducked my head when I saw his eyes flicker up to my window. I didn't know if he saw me, so I waited for a few seconds before looking again. There was nothing occupying the space he was in. Immediately I hopped to my feet and gazed around; sure enough, the Toushirou look-alike had disappeared. "Where'd he go?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. That was weird… maybe he wasn't really there after all. I shut the window and hopped down my sill.

I had resorted to piano-playing to pass away the hours until I had to get ready. Our house was a dainty little one-storied house (with the only 'upstairs' being my attic; I used one of those stairs that you pulled out of the ceiling—isn't that cool?) that looked like a cottage. Metsuki had her own room down our ten-foot hallway and my uncle slept in the living room (he liked it there, don't ask me why). The piano was in the room with my uncle, so I had to wake him up when I started playing.

I loved music—especially playing the piano. I've never had a lesson (I was too busy and we needed to save money), so I had to teach myself. I'm still a rookie, but I learn and play all the songs I like—which usually took a few months. While I was playing, though, I couldn't get my mind off the sight outside; I was sure I saw Toushirou. I stared long enough to confirm his presence—but in just a few seconds he had managed to disappear. I didn't even hear him run away. Maybe I'll ask him about that today…

School today passed by like a movie in fast forward. I was pretty confident that I absolutely bombed my Geometry test (thanks to a particular snow-head that will remain unnamed), History was a cinch, and Science was okay. Hitsugaya didn't show up, his excuse being that he had influenza. When I heard the announcement from everyone's information source, Yukita, my expression turned into that of confusion. Was that not him I saw outside my house, then? I was pretty sure though… Toushirou was pretty hard to _not_ recognize.

Oh well.

As anyone could imagine, everyone in the female population was broken-hearted. Riana looked especially sad, which surprised me as well as tore at my insides. Riana looked pathetic (in a good way) when she was sad—that face could make anyone's heart melt. As I sat at lunch, listening to the aching cries of random girls that basically worshiped the white-haired kid, I was just about ready to yank my hair out. What did they see in the guy, seriously? Sure, he was good-looking, but surely that wasn't the only reason why, right?

When our final class (Science) was about to be let out, my teacher, Hiroi-sensei, needed someone to take our sick classmate his homework. Of course, ninety-nine point nine percent of the girl populations' hands rose (the point nine percent being my hand). I was focusing on packing up my things (I remembered my messenger bag today, by the way) while Hiroi-sensei struggled to pick the right hand. When my bag thumped against my hip, I felt a large hand clamp over my shoulder. I gazed up to meet with the gentle smile of my middle-aged teacher.

"Nagasuki, I must admit that I'm impressed that you would allow one of these other girls to bring homework to your sick boyfriend," he said, gazing at me with a proud grin. "Would you rather want to take it to him?"

My mouth dropped open at the word 'boyfriend.' What was it with these people and jumping to conclusions? Could he not see that I wanted nothing to do with the guy? Why did this always happen to me? Thinking these thoughts, I nonetheless mustered the most polite tone for a response. I didn't want to end up yelling at my teacher for his mistake. "Oh, Hitsugaya-san isn't my boyfriend, Hiroi-sensei—we're just barely acquaintances. It doesn't really matter to me who takes it to him…"

Hiroi-sensei's grin just widened. "Well then, I must ask you to take it to him, Nagasuki. You want to know why?" His hand left my shoulder. "Because you're the only one in this class who doesn't have their hand raised. You were easy to pick out among those who had raised their hands."

My eyes widened and I hung my head.

This _always_ happened to me. Why?!

To my surprise, Hitsugaya's house was located in town, close to all the marketplaces and shops. I expected him to live somewhere in the countryside, where it was nice, quiet, and peaceful. Adding more to my surprise was that I passed by his house every morning on my way to school. I held his address in my fingers, and my (heavier) bag patted painfully against my hip. I had to do some errands today after school, so I couldn't go home first (Uncle said that I couldn't come home without the stuff I was assigned to get—how sad is that?). I had already been carrying about fifteen pounds on my own; with Whitey-lock's things, I was carrying about thirty pounds on a half-mile walk.

I hated my life.

I finally turned into his street. Even more surprise: he had tons of neighbors. Our house didn't even have one. I recognized this place as the pathway I took to get home each school day. My map led me to his house (which was in the middle of the row) and I meekly stepped up to his front porch. It looked peaceful enough; there was nothing strange about it. My fist rose up to knock, and paused just as it was about to make contact.

"Matsumoto, what are you doing!? Those are _my_ watermelons!" I blinked. That sounded like Hitsugaya. … An angry Hitsugaya.

"But taichou, I need them for dinner!" I didn't recognize this voice… but it was a girl's. I could hear something brewing behind the door.

"_All thirteen of them!?"_

"… It'll be really good, promise!"

"_Matsumoto!_"

I gulped, afraid to find out what this door was shielding. It sounded like the next world war. Shutting my eyes tight, I let my fist knock softly against it. Immediately the bickering inside stopped and I could hear footsteps walking towards the door. I stepped back.

"I'll get it, Matsumoto. No, you stay there." It was Hitsugaya's voice again.

The knob turned and the door was pulled open. Standing there was a casual-looking Hitsugaya, his white hair tousled and lanky form dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a black shirt. Once again, he looked gorgeous. At the sight of me, his expression turned into surprise. "Nagasuki? What're you doing here?"

"Good afternoon, Hitsugaya-san. I'm here to drop off the homework from today," I replied, bowing my head quickly. I didn't want to look like I'd been standing there listening in on them… that would've been a little awkward. "How are you feeling?"

Toushirou stared at me for a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "Good, I guess." I gave him his books from my backpack. "Thank you—"

A plate dropped from somewhere in the house, it's crashing noise echoing to the front door. Hitsugaya and I both flinched. "Taichooouuu! Invite them in! Dinner's ready and there's a lot to eat!" It was the girl's voice from earlier; I guessed it was his sister.

Why did she call him 'taichou'?

Hitsugaya sighed, raking his slender fingers through his hair. "You can stay for dinner, if you want," he finally said after a few seconds of reluctance. He honestly didn't look like he wanted to be hospitable right now. I wouldn't blame him; if Metsuki were making a racket in the kitchen, I wouldn't want anyone over either…

"U-Um… nah, I don't want to be a bother…" I said, giggling nervously. Another plate shattered behind him. Was she juggling the shine or something? "… Is she okay?"

He didn't answer, but when he turned, I could hear him mumble something like 'she won't be in a few seconds'. With his back to me, the white-haired grump waved me in. "Come on, let's go. She won't hurt you," he said, holding the door wider for me. A sweet, unique scent wafted inside; I could distinctly pick out the scent of thirteen cooked watermelons.

"… All right," I gave in, holding my bag in my hands as I stepped inside. The smell was even stronger in here. It wasn't bad-smelling, but it definitely didn't smell edible…

The door closed behind me with a soft click, and Toushirou passed by me without a glance. "The kitchen's just up ahead. Don't do anything without me." I watched his thin form disappear down the long hallway.

Hmm, sounded more like a warning than a threat…

I left my shoes and bag by the door and wandered inside. The interior was made of shiny oak, and looked pretty sturdy. The ground was completely wooden, and had pretty rugs decorating empty space. The hallway was ten feet long from the door and led to the kitchen on the left; across from it, on the right, was the living room. It was bordered with bookcases and comfy-looking sofas.

I stood at the three-way stop, staring at the living room. To my left I smelled the weird thirteen-watermelons scent; when I turned to look at what was happening there, I was tackled by a taller, stronger person that I figured wasn't Hitsugaya.

"Helloooo there, cutie!" A chirpy voice immediately stunned me and I bit down a gasp as a figure pounced on me.

The first second I was breathing, and the next I was gasping for breath. I coughed and sputtered pathetically, trying to find my voice. I couldn't see my attacker—my face was crushed in their shoulder. "H-H-Hi…" I coughed, giving up. Resistance was obviously futile.

"What's your name? I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, but Rangiku's just fine!"

I coughed in reply.

Matsumoto didn't seem to notice. "Are you Taichou's girlfriend?"

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya's voice protruded. His quiet footsteps slid against the tile of the carpet, and I heard him lean against the counter.

"How long have you been going to that school? Taichou doesn't like it there," Matsumoto continued her questionnaire—man, did she have arms of steel! The harder I tried to push away, the tighter her vice-grip got.

"Matsumoto…"

I struggled helplessly in her hold.

"Where do you live?"

"_Matsumoto…_"

"How did you find your way here?"

I could feel my vision fading…

"_Matsumoto Rangiku! Let go of her this instant!"_

Suddenly I could feel my weight back on my feet and I gasped, sucking in sweet breath. Holy cow, did she have a grip… Didn't Hitsugaya say she wouldn't hurt me? I inhaled and exhaled, making sure my larynx and lungs were still capable of performing their usual duties, before finally turning to Matsumoto. She stared at me apologetically.

"… Hello, Rangiku-san. Nice to meet you—I'm Nagasuki Megumi," I bowed, a sheepish grin on my face. Formality was always a thing of habit for me, ever since I was a little kid. It grew onto me even when I was speaking to my friends, and it had a knack of charming my authorities whenever I talked to them so I didn't get in trouble. I didn't mind being polite—especially to strangers. I glanced to Hitsugaya momentarily, who was busy glaring at his sister.

"Sorry for nearly suffocating you, Megumi," Matsumoto grinned apologetically. "I'm used to hugging guys, and I forgot that girls are more delicate than men. You know, there was this one time with Hinamori-chan…"

"That's enough, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya sighed, rubbing his temples with exhaustion in his face. His face twisted into that of disgust as his gaze wandered into the kitchen—or, more importantly, the stove. _Something_ was brewing in a pot. "And what in the _world_ are you making?"

An expression of genuine offense washed onto Matsumoto's face as she defensively crossed her arms. "Can't you smell it? I'm making Orihime's special: fish-head soup with chocolate syrup, mixed in with mustard!"

An unpleasant image popped up in my mind and I sharply sucked in a breath. Orihime—who was that? I'd hate to see her usual dish if that was her special…

Hitsugaya froze, and his expression drowned into worry. "You didn't use a cook book?"

"No, silly; I told you I'd cook my special tonight!"

I stared at them both, a look of pure shock on my face. I was speechless; and completely lost. Maybe this cooking was the cause of Hitsugaya's flu. For the first time in my life, I felt sorry for him. I just stood there, both amused and frightened by this duo; and for some reason, their relationship looked nothing like brother-sister—more like mother-son.

Matsumoto grinned happily, turning to me with a dazzling smile. "You should eat with us, too, Megumi! There's enough for all of us!"

I was about to kindly decline, before a look from Hitsugaya stopped me. His expression was nice and kept—except for the 'you're going down with me' glare he was shooting at me. "Matsumoto would enjoy your company, Nagasuki; she needs feminine companions," he added. I narrowed my eyes at him.

The orange-haired woman nodded enthusiastically, her lips curving into a child's pleading grin. I couldn't refuse that; who in their right mind could? "Sure…?" I responded hesitantly.

Matsumoto squealed happily, clapping her hands together. "All right! I'll set up the table and get everything ready! You two go, uh, do something."

I was worried the poor girl was going to break another plate if someone left her alone. Nonetheless she went flitting across the kitchen, taking her sweet time. I was about to ask if I could help with anything, but Hitsugaya caught my attention as he stepped across the room and into the living room. He plopped onto a couch and stared at me expectantly, before I quickly discovered his silent message. I walked over to him and plopped onto a seat next to him, putting a good distance between us. I glanced once at Matsumoto, before gazing to the white-haired boy beside me. "Fish heads, mustard, chocolate…?" I whispered.

"Don't ask."

I sat there stiffly, feeling a bit awkward being in close proximity (too close for comfort for me) with the person I wasn't too fond of. My thoughts wandered to something else that would keep my mind off him; school, the day, this morning, the piano, music…

Wait. This morning.

"Hey, can I ask you something…?" I asked, staring at my twiddling thumbs in my lap.

"What?" he responded.

I was going to sound completely stupid, and maybe a little freaky, but I had to start a conversation somewhere. "Were you… were you taking a walk this morning?"

I could see his form stiffen beside me, and he turned to me with a quizzical look. "No. Why?" His teal eyes stared at me in confusion, searching my own. Was he lying to me?

"I was just wondering. I woke up early this morning so I was sitting on my window, passing the time… and I saw someone that looked like you outside. It was pretty weird… he looked exhausted and dirty. Not that I was staring at him or anything… I just noticed him because, yeah, he was there… so don't get the wrong idea," I folded my arms across my chest. I hated it when I rambled.

"It must have been your imagination," he responded with a small sigh. He was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Is Japanese not your first language?"

The question caught me off guard. "Why do you ask that?"

"An accent's affecting your Japanese," Hitsugaya stated nonchalantly. "I noticed when you called me 'Hitsugaya-san'."

I blushed and looked down. He sure didn't miss a thing, did he? "English is my first language." I lived in America for eleven years before moving to Karakura; Nagasuki Takuya, my uncle, adopted me and moved. Did you know? I'm adopted, so my uncle's my step-dad. I'm fully Japanese, but I grew up in an English environment. I knew Japanese completely, now, but I guess the English accent I had would never fade.

"Hmm," Hitsugaya turned away again, pleased with himself on his correct speculation. He thinks he's all good… "English is my second language."

I tried to hide my surprise. "Then I'll make fun of _you_ if you ever talked to me in English."

Hitsugaya stood up just as Matsumoto finished setting up the table. "She'll throw a fit if you don't finish your food," he spoke normally, his words flowing in English. I gaped at him as he strode passed me, meeting Matsumoto at the table. His speech was flawless, nothing in his tone signifying his Japanese origin besides his Asian face. I grumbled under my breath and followed him.

Stupid, perfect, flawless, English-speaking pretty boy…

Matsumoto sat happily next to Hitsugaya; I sat across from them on the dining table. A plate of fish heads, chocolate, and mustard was mixed into a single concoction before me. I contemplated on whether it required a fork or a spoon to eat it. I held a fork and spoon in both hands; each utensil trembled nervously. Hitsugaya was just staring at it with half-lidded eyes, arms crossed over his chest stubbornly. Matsumoto immediately dug in. I honestly didn't want to follow her example, and instead, I brought up another subject.

"So, um," I started, a little bit awkward as both pairs of eyes rose in surprise to look at me, "why did you guys come here? I always thought the better schools were in America."

Hitsugaya gazed back down at his plate, and Matsumoto 'hmmed' to herself. "We're looking for something," the woman replied quietly, stuffing her face again. She coughed lightly as Hitsugaya nudged her, and she shot him an apologetic glance.

"Our parents sent us here looking for… a good school. The academics in Karakura were fairly high, so we decided to come here. America's schools are always too crowded," Hitsugaya continued, poking at his food. I stared at him, searching his face. It was hidden as he gazed down, and I had the faintest feeling that I was being lied to again. Oh, well, didn't matter—it wasn't my business, anyway.

So I asked them if they liked it at Karakura. I already knew Matsumoto was ecstatic; Hitsugaya was being a boy and simply shrugged, not really caring. That's how the rest of our dinner resumed; I didn't eat a bite, and neither did Hitsugaya, but Matsumoto was too involved in our conversations to notice. Finally, after a while of talking and stories, I glanced at the clock over the stove and nearly gasped—it was late. I didn't realize how long I'd stayed.

"You're so much more fun than he is," Matsumoto laughed as I got ready to leave. "You have to come eat with us again!" she clapped her hands, pleased with her idea. "And next time I'll make—"

"I'll come again on one condition," I interrupted her, not even wanting to hear what kind of weird dish she had set for 'next time'. "Can I cook?" I wasn't the best at it, but I enjoyed doing it, nonetheless; Matsumoto looked like she'd eat anything, and so did Hitsugaya—well, anything except Matsumoto's cooking. She agreed to it after I assured her I could cook.

"Thanks for having me over," I said as I faced them on the doorstep. It was eight-thirty, and it was dark. I had to hurry home before I suspiciously disappeared; I already felt slightly bothered by the fact that I was going to go home alone. "I had fun."

"So did I," Matsumoto nodded, grinning as she cautiously gave me another hug. I laughed and patted her on the back. "Come again anytime!"

I nodded in reply and turned to Hitsugaya; he was staring at the scenery behind me, looking like he was searching for something in the darkness. His expression was wary. "See you tomorrow, Hitsugaya-san," I said awkwardly.

His eyes gazed back to mine. "Be careful on your way back," he said. His words were eerie, as if they held another meaning; and was it just me, or did he seem anxious? "Strangers tend to be attracted to weak-looking girls."

Nope, he wasn't anxious. He was just being a brat. I pouted and stuck my tongue out at him.

I thanked them again and went on my way. I had no problem walking home at night, but for some reason, tonight I felt… slightly paranoid, as if someone was following me. I think my paranoia went to the extreme as I nearly crossed a crosswalk when the lights were red; something caught my wrist and held me back just as a car whizzed by. When I glanced back, no one was there. I wanted to believe it was a guardian angel of sorts—but I thought those were only for little kids?

In little to no time at all after my encounter with something I couldn't see that I was running home. I made it in only a few minutes, found my room again, and fell right asleep; I didn't even talk to Metsuki. Before my mind drifted, I could feel the cold breeze of wind as it flowed in through my open window, and the thought I slept on was this:

Wasn't my window closed before I left?

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**A/N:** Whew, 4000 words! That's a lot for me. Maybe not for other authors, but it's a feat for me. Did you notice? I took some parts from Falling Dusk to fill in because I was lazy and didn't want to type it all over again. Now for the big question—why did I update today, on December 22nd?

That's right—today's the day that The Diamond Dust Rebellion released in Japan! I'm so happy! I can't wait to see it. X3 Toushirou looks absolutely gorgeous in the previews…

**FireFlames**Your guess is correct, and thank you for reviewing again:3 I kept getting complaints about it being down, so I decided to bring it back up… only with a few changes.

**Slothy Girl: **You might have read my previous story, Falling Dusk (it had the same storyline), before I deleted it. It was a few months ago that I posted it, but I re-wrote it. :3 Thanks for the review! ;3

**joster13: **Yes, thank you! His birthday was amazingly convenient for me, so I decided why not:3 And I posted this chapter in honor of the new Bleach movie. X3 I can't wait to see it. Thank you so much for liking my story! Furareta means 'love hurts' in Japanese—I read it off some Japanese-English book my sister has. xD Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Kana090:**Thanks so much! Here's your update. X3 I always loved the concept of normal high school characters, so I decided to apply that in here. Thanks!

**ChibiChibiLove**I remember you. Thanks so much for the review! X3

**shuriken-thrower**Please don't commit suicide! I don't want to be arrested. D: thanks so much for the review—I hope this story will be good. X3

Thank you so much, guys—I hope you keep reviewing and I get more reviewers:3 You guys are the best—you have no idea how much reviews fuel me!

-- b a y o – b a y o, signing out!


	3. Pure Genius

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Merry Christmas everyone:3 This is a special update for my favorite holiday of the year—Christmas! I'm so excited—I got the best things as gifts. X3 I was really spoiled this year, ha ha. Or, should I say, ho ho? –slapped-

Anyways, I hope everyone's having a stupendous break, and thanks for the quick reviews, again! I love you guys! But I'm probably gonna start demanding more reviews, just because I'm stingy. I have 11 favorites and 10 alerts, and I'm barely getting over 50 of their reviews? Can't I have just 8 each chapter from now on (not that I don't appreciate my past reviewers—special love for you!)? xP Surely you guys can spare that many if you like this story enough to alert it?

The plot will start enhancing by chapter five, I promise… or maybe even the next chapter, depending on how I wanna do it. So please keep reviewing and reading, because both mean a lot to me!

Dislcaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach, not me. X3 But I do own this story, my characters, and this plot!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H R E E :**_  
"Pure Genius"_

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"So, Megu-chan, who're you gonna ask to the Fall Festival?"

With a disgruntled sigh, I simply frowned and continued eating my sandwich. It was another one of Metsuki's specials: eggs, bacon, a hamburger patty, onions, tomatoes, and mayonnaise squashed between (surprisingly sturdy) wheat bread. It sounded kind of funky, didn't it? Trust me, if you had this cooked Metsuki's style, you'd love it just as much as I did. I was enjoying it to its fullest until Yukita decided to bring up the question that really didn't apply to me.

"You know I don't date, Yukita," I replied, shrugging.

The Fall Festival was an annual event that took place every early October (it was next week). It was during that time that fall was the prettiest; the leaves were amazing colors of red, orange, and yellow, and the scenery that the festival was located in was one of the best in Karakura. Our school managed to rent out a fairly large place this year, and everyone was excited—especially the girls.

As for me, I really couldn't care less. I went to the festival, sure, but I never went with anybody; I simply enjoyed it because it was fun. There were decorations and lights everywhere; stands were set up where you could play tons of games, and there was free food. I might just be helping out this time because I'm on the student council… but decorating and keeping things in order was my forte, so I was definitely looking forward to it.

But was I going to go with anyone? No.

There was Hikaru that I could go with… but he was so popular it wasn't even funny. I didn't think he'd want to go with me anyway; I barely talked to the guy, despite the many times I've slept over at Riana's house. I'd love to go with him somewhere, but I didn't think it'd ever happen—how could a sweet, athletic guy like him want to go with a clumsy, disoriented girl like me, anyway?

"You're so boring when it comes to guys, Megu-chan," Yukita sighed, flipping her chocolate hair over her shoulder. "You're a cute girl, you know—I don't think there's a guy who would turn you down if you actually asked them. Well, maybe every guy besides the really cute, really popular guys… 'cause those are for me." She flashed me a sly grin. She was so cute—no wonder everyone in the school liked her. She was outgoing, talkative, energetic, and knew how to keep someone's attention—so unlike me.

"It's supposed to be the girls that ask the boys this time, right?" Riana, who was quietly listening to our conversation, asked. An empty bento box sat neatly next to her. "I don't know… should I ask… um… you know…?" she blushed, twiddling her thumbs in her palms.

Snorting, Yukita plopped a piece of hard candy in her mouth. "Hah! Girls are practically waiting in line to ask Toushirou. I don't think he's going though; he says he been getting sick lately because of the colder weather," she said as-a-matter-of-factly. "I don't believe him. Maybe you should wait until the Winter Dance to ask him, Ri-chan."

I glanced at the black-haired girl's downcast expression and frowned. "You could give it a try though, Riana. I think you have a chance; you're really pretty. Hasn't anyone asked you yet?" In my opinion, Riana was one of the prettiest girls I had ever seen. She had short (but it was _always_ curled), silky black hair that perfectly framed her pale face and glistening onyx eyes. She was a perfect girl who was good at everything; it was rare for anyone to turn down requests from her.

"There were a few…" Riana replied, although absent-mindedly. She only wanted to go with Hitsugaya, I could tell—I wondered if the white-haired boy knew how lucky he was to have the attention of Riana. I think this is the first time I've seen her fallen for someone. "Hitsugaya-kun doesn't look interested in anyone though. Why would he say yes to me?"

Yukita shrugged. "You never know unless you try."

At that moment, Hikaru passed by beside our eating spot under the cherry blossom tree. Secretly my eyes watched him pass by; he was so good, too good, for me. He and Riana looked nothing alike, but they were both equally perfect in everything. He had short, dark red hair with tresses framing his perfect, pale face, bringing out the electric blue in his eyes. His smile made my heart melt. _You never know unless you try_, I repeated in my mind. Maybe I would apply that…

"Megu-chan? Megu-chan! The bell rang!"

Snapping from my trance, my dreamy thoughts of Hikaru vanished and were replaced with the ear-shattering bell. I picked up my things with a sigh and followed my friends to class.

P.E. was next. This was officially my worst class, next to Geometry. Our teacher, the vile and absolutely _sadistic_Isona-sensei (she was old and crabby, just like Kaminari-sensei, but she still had a nasty kick to her), was absolutely ruthless. I was tempted to ditch today just because of her. Today was our P.E. test; I had no idea what we had to do, but I knew it wasn't going to be good. Neither Yukita nor Riana was here in this class with me, which made it even worse; I had no one to lean on here (well, there was Hikaru, but we weren't exactly close).

With a heavy sigh, I stood before the double-doors that led into the wide Karakura Junior High gym. I inhaled deeply, savoring every breath of oxygen because I knew I'd lose it fast. Yeah, that's how bad it was. Even Riana said it was hard, and she was the best girl athlete this school had—and also Isona-sensei's favorite. Hikaru was her favorite guy. And as you might guess, I was her least favorite… so I was in for some pain today.

I had my death wish written at home; I told my Takuya-oji to give it to Metsuki if I didn't come back home before eight o'clock.

Finally the second bell rang, and with one last breath, I pushed open the doors. My classmates were already inside, stretching and preparing for whatever we had to do. I gulped and took wobbly steps to the back of the group, out of Isona-sensei's sight; but I paused on my way.

My usual location in the gym was stolen… by a particular white-haired boy.

_Awww, he has P.E. with me too?! I already see him enough in Geometry and History!_ I stared angrily at Toushirou as he simply stood there with his arms crossed, as if he was completely prepared for the test. I wonder if he even had to take it; if so, I doubt his lanky body would take the pressure. He looked strong, but he looked fragile, as well. Hikaru was just in front of him, stretching his limbs like a pro. He caught my gaze and gave me a charming smile, and waved at me.

After I caught my breath (Isona-sensei wasn't the only reason I had trouble breathing in this class), I waved back with a shy smile.

I screeching whistle interrupted my mute communication with Hikaru.

"Welcome to class, maggots," sneered Isona-sensei, her beady eyes staring at us. She had a baton (her favorite weapon—she always had it with her, and wasn't afraid to use it) armed in one hand and was pounding it against her palm. It made a scary slapping noise. "I hope you're body's well-prepared. I can't guarantee your health otherwise." That was basically her signature phrase.

Her small eyes flashed to meet mine, and I gulped, staring down.

"And who might you be, young man?"

All heads turned to the spot-stealing Toushirou, who once again took all the eyes without any anxiety. My eyes narrowed at him as he spoke, "Hitsugaya Toushirou." Nowadays, that name brought girls to swooning and guys to jealousy; but to Isona-sensei, popularity and good looks didn't matter to her.

"Well, let me tell you something, Hitsugaya," the lady said, her voice threateningly low, "In my class, there is no mercy for first-timers. New or not, you come to my class and you're as much as a maggot as anyone else in this gym! Don't expect me to let you sit out of the test."

Hitsugaya didn't flinch. "I expected nothing of the sort."

Isona-sensei scoffed. "Trying to get on my good side, are you? Bold words don't impress me, kid—actions do."

My gaze was kept on Hitsugaya as he stood there, his eyes half-lidded and a thin line forming his lips. I don't think I've ever heard someone speak so boldly to Isona-sensei. It even impressed me, and I still didn't like Toushirou. I remembered I almost fainted when I spoke to her for the first time; he talked as if he'd been through these kinds of teachers more than once. His teal eyes turned to me, sensing my gaze on him. I quickly turned away.

Isona-sensei slammed her baton harder onto her callous palm, making a louder racket and reclaiming everyone's attention. "Listen up, maggots," she said, her loud voice echoing in the large gym. "Today we're going to have a test—a test that tests your survival instincts. It's a survival of the fittest."

I gulped. These were the worst tests; it always proved how helpless I was in a scarce survival environment. She was about to announce her favorite game—the game I always had nightmares about. I raised my hand timidly. "Isona-sensei, can we play Capture the Flag instead?" That way, I could hide in a corner and not do anything…

"Silence, Nagasuki," Isona-sensei growled, immediately shutting my mouth. "Today, kids, we're going to be playing _dodge ball_. I will divide you into teams; one will be throwing, and the other dodging. The first match will be timed for ten minutes, and we'll switch. The team who has the most players left at the end of the time limit won't have to run thirty laps around the gym next week."

I gulped. I was going to die. It seemed that whatever team I was on, bad luck always seemed to follow.

When she pointed me to Team A, I sauntered over to the other end of the court with the other victims. All of them looked wary, worried that they were going to lose; I had already lost all hope. When we witnessed Hikaru being sent to Team B, we had all officially lost hope. Isona-sensei finally got to Toushirou; she sent him to our team. With another blank look on my face, I had decided that I wasn't going to be surprised that I always ended up doing things with him.

I swear someone up there didn't like me…

Oh well, I might as well get used to him.

"So… are you good at this kind of stuff?" I asked Toushirou, who stood a ways beside me.

He glanced at me briefly, before turning away and shrugging. "We'll see." I pouted at his mysterious demeanor. Dumb guy. I'd never get used to him.

Our team was on the outside first, and Hikaru's team was inside the boundaries. The cute red-head looked like he was excited; the others were literally trembling. The guys on our team weren't that bad; strength was their thing, but definitely not dodging. The whistle blew after a few suspenseful seconds, and the game began.

Balls were flying everywhere, and screams and groans of pain weren't lazy in following. People fell over and girls began crying pathetically at the guys' aggression. I couldn't blame them; who would want to run thirty laps around the gym? It was huge!

Whenever a ball came to me, I just grabbed it and tossed it in, not really caring if I hit anyone. Hikaru was dodging every ball as if they were repelled by some magical force. He was so graceful in his step, and he looked good doing it—I was so envious of him. I glanced to Toushirou, checking up on how he played this game—and my eyes widened. He had the same nonchalant look on his face as he grabbed the balls and chucked them inside the circle, knocking an average of three people out each throw. He didn't look like he threw them with much force, but the ball left his hand so fast I didn't even know he threw it!

"Another Mr. Perfect," I mumbled, tossing another ball in.

Finally Hikaru was the only one left in the circle; the timer in Isona-sensei's fingers rang annoyingly. Hikaru didn't even look like he broke a sweat. The people on our team groaned; they knew that if they got Hikaru out, then we'd be tied when all of our team got out; but apparently, he was too good for our little strategy.

Our teams switched, and now we were in the middle. For a few minutes my mind flashed back to the many bruises and sores I had gotten from this 'game' (more like a death match!), and cringed. I saw the look on the other teams' faces; they were smirks—evil little grins that said that they knew they were going to win. I gulped, subconsciously hiding behind a few of my teammates; across from me, Toushirou stood there with a bored look on his face. I guess he didn't know how hard and fast these guys were going to throw…

The whistle blew. Once again balls were flying everywhere.

I could hear the clock ticking as my teammates fell over one by one, terrified scream after terrified scream; I stood in one part of the circle, looking as if I belonged to the other team. This is what I always did when I played this game; it worked for a little while until someone discovered my true identity. Before me, I selfishly watched my comrades groan in pain before planting themselves on the ground; I trembled in my spot, and finally there were only two people left.

Hitsugaya stood right smack in the middle, arms crossed and no sweat broken. We only had two minutes left.

I was forced out of my hiding place; if I was knocked out, we would be tied and we'd all have to run. I had to at least _try_ to dodge. Toushirou glanced at me, mildly surprised—but also amused. Around us, the beady little eyes of our enemies eyed us, our every move; Isona-sensei glared at us from the background, looking to see what Toushirou was capable of.

"Before I'm knocked out, I have a confession to make," I whispered to him. "I suck at dodge ball."

"I don't feel like running, so just stand there and don't do anything," Toushirou said with his back to me. "I'll take care of everything else."

The balls flew again. Two minutes left—we only had to survive for two minutes.

I screamed as a ball soared to me. I shielded my face with my arms and waited for the impact—and suddenly I was shoved to the side, barely catching my balance on the slippery oak floor. Across from me, Toushirou held my gaze with his teal eyes.

'_Just stand there and don't do anything.'_

What was he planning? To make me dodge everything while trying to dodge, himself? He's crazy! If he tries that, we're both out of the game!

Another two balls came soaring from our sides, and before I could blink, I felt his hand press my head down for a duck; the balls collided above us, flying back to their owners. I stared at him in surprise. He didn't look at me this time. Could he really pull this off?

Three balls came in random diagonals, and, yanking my arm, he pulled me along conveniently to dodge everything that came our way. His actions were precise and accurate; a ball didn't even graze him (or me, which was even more amazing). I could see the surprised expressions on our classmates' faces as they watched us perform in the center; even Isona-sensei looked mildly impressed under her nasty demeanor. I simply kept my mouth shut and let Toushirou handle everything.

Only thirty seconds left. For the past minute and thirty seconds Toushirou had managed to have him and me dodge every ball that threatened to knock us out. He didn't even look nervous—I was about to pass out from my thumping heart. I don't think I've ever survived this long in a dodge ball match—not even in my dreams! I glanced at Toushirou again; he never released the strong, controlling grip on my arm.

Another final five balls came this time, surrounding us; this time Toushirou's feet swept against my ankles, giving me a painful trip face-first to the ground. He jumped almost three feet into the air, and the balls clashed between us and bounced away. The white-haired boy landed softly on his feet just as the timer rang, and once again grabbed my arm—this time to pull me to my feet. I stumbled around for a few seconds, trying to regain my balance; everything else was silent. Hitsugaya dusted off his pants, a bored look on his face.

I stared at him, gaping. He didn't even look tired.

"That… was amazing," Isona-sensei muttered, stepping forward. Hitsugaya stared at her warily as she came to greet him. "Never before had I seen something like that from someone your age—no, anyone at all!" she glanced at me briefly. "Talented and coordinated enough to both dodge and maneuver Nagasuki until the timer rang—pure genius!"

Toushirou rolled his shoulders. "Now we don't have to run, do we?"

Isona-sensei almost had hearts in her eyes, her mind still relaying the dodge ball match. She must have realized how uncharacteristic she looked, and she coughed in her fist. "None of you have to. You're all dismissed."

The school bell rang. Everyone left the gym, amazed by the feat they just witnessed; none of them even tried to talk to the strange, but perfectly athletic boy. Toushirou was still dusting himself off until only we were left in the gym. When I slowly walked towards him, he glanced at me with his same nonchalant gaze.

"What?" he asked.

"How… how did you _do_ that?" I stuttered, my eyes unbelievably wide. "I've never seen anything like what you did… it was amazing!"

Hitsugaya stared at me for a few seconds, contemplating on his answer. After a few seconds he simply shrugged, grabbed his bag and sauntered past me. "I've had practice," he answered ominously. The swinging of the closing door as he left echoed in the gym room. I stood there, my eyes still as big as golf balls, before slowly turning and following him out.

There was definitely something different about him.

Remember yesterday when I said that Takuya-oji wouldn't let me come home until I had gotten everything he wanted for him? Yeah, well… because I didn't do that, I was punished. And Takuya-oji's punishments were never any walks through the parks. Neither Metsuki nor I got off disobeying without consequences. And we didn't get grounded at home… we just had our chores doubled, and errands tripled for a week. That meant I probably wouldn't be home until eight o'clock.

But that was fine. I didn't mind taking walks in Karakura. Sure, it was tiring after I got an onslaught of groceries and junk that I didn't even _know_ Takuya-oji was interested in (I think he just did it to spite me), but it was an adventure… and a workout. Most of the shop owners knew me because I always passed by them, so I was always on their good sides; sometimes I even got discounts so that I could by myself a little something with the extra money Takuya-oji lent me. Mostly they were just candy or more apple candles… I loved the smell of apples. They were my favorite scent.

I was heading home around seven-thirty, just in time to reclaim my death will. Thanks to Toushirou, I wasn't dead yet. "Hitsugaya-san…" Something troubled my insides at his name. Whenever I looked at him, I despised him for being so good at everything… but his name gave me the feeling that he was more than he let on. Was I just being paranoid? Stupid? I've been told my intuition is fairly high for a thirteen-year-old girl (as told by a cheap fortune teller), but would I be right this time?

My thoughts reverted back to the night before, where I had eaten dinner with him and his crazy sister, Rangiku. _'We're looking for something,'_ Rangiku had said, before Hitsugaya jumped in and completely changed the answer. They were both careful about what they said afterwards (Rangiku, especially), and never again spoke another word about what she had let slip by accident. But was that phrase something of importance? Metsuki said there was nothing wrong with them, and I usually always believed Metsuki, but… I just didn't feel at peace about them. It was as if they were hiding something from me… from everyone. Them leaving America to come to school in dinky little Karakura was just too far out to believe…

And then there was the walk home after that dinner. There was the feeling of something, or someone, following me—and the invisible hand that caught my wrist just before a car whizzed by. A watermelon scent occupied the space where the saving arm was supposed to be. That couldn't be him, right? Toushirou wasn't invisible—in fact, he glowed in the dark with his white hair.

So who…?

Metsuki met me on the porch of our little cottage, with her cute, bright smile; and I led her to my room, where we once again had our daily conference. She clutched my hand endearingly, an excited expression on her face.

"You look happy, kiddo," I observed, grinning. "What's going on?"

"The Fall Festival!" she exclaimed happily, her pretty face shining. "I can't wait! What are you going to be doing, nee-chan? Are you going to ask Hikaru-san to go with you?"

I was thankful she couldn't see my surprised blush. "I'm not taking anyone, Metsuki—you know I never do. I'm part of the student council, so I'll probably be helping setting stuff up and being in charge of a stand."

"Aww, you're no fun, nee-chan!"

"You sound just like Yukita." I rubbed my temples, and my thoughts diverted to the happenings of today—or, more specifically, Toushirou's amazing feat. "Hey, um, Metsuki… do you think Toushirou seems a little… out of place?" I asked randomly and quietly.

Metsuki's lips arched in confusion. "What? Why do you ask?"

"Well… today it was just… amazing." I related to her what had happened in gym class today, and she sat there, taking in everything with a nonchalant expression; she was registering it in her mind. "He's good and all and maybe he really is just a genius… but, I don't know. It just doesn't sit well with me that he came to Karakura from America just for schooling."

Metsuki held my hand silently, and they subconsciously squeezed a little harder. "Toushirou is really smart. Rangiku-chan tells me he's smart enough to out-do even the smartest of scholars. I don't find it surprising that he would be able to do that… he's amazing that way," she responded, shrugging.

"I don't know, I guess you're right… maybe I'm just jealous of him."

"Don't worry, nee-chan," Metsuki smiled. "Toushirou's really smart, but he's no alien."

I honestly hoped she was right.

**

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**A/N:** Toushirou is the little genius, isn't he? X3

Another longer chapter. I think the minimum words in my chapters will be about 3500. xD That means… for longer chapters, I want more reviews! I'm stingy, guys—fuel me!

**joster13:** Yeah, I know—but it has a meaning in this story. … Okay, maybe not directly, but it'll be semi-important—or maybe climatic—later on. Much, much later on. :3 Are you happy that you finally got to the third chapter? I hope you liked it—I had tons of fun with Hitsugaya and Megumi here. X3 I can't wait to watch it, either! I want it subbed right now. xD Thanks for the review, joster—you're the best!

**Kana090:** Oh, don't worry, so do I. x3 I'm Asian, but Japanese is still foreign to me. xD Yeah, I like long chapters too… I just hope my long chapters aren't boring. xD That's what I'm afraid of. Falling Dusk is a story that I wrote some months ago that was exactly like this story, except with different characters. I took it down, and this story, Furareta, is the rewrite. All questions will be answered in chapters to come—so sit tight! ;3

**Chained-Down: **Thank you so much! Heheh, that's what Megumi's wondering. I honestly think she thinks too much… but who's fault is that? ;3 Sure, I'll take a look at your story, if I can find it. Searching for stuff has never been my forte. ;P

**ChibiChibiLove** Thanks again for reviewing, Chibi:3 I really, really appreciate it! Here's your update! X3

**vampires247: **Thank you, vampire. X3 I like putting some comic relief early in my story, since it's going to get depressing later on… Oh! I said too much! -ominous- Thanks for the review!

**Naruto-Lover227: **Aww, I'm sorry. xD Thanks for the review! … And for the muffins!

Thanks again for the reviews, everyone—and remember, I need more! The plot's about to build, so I need support to help me! So please, everyone—review, review, review!

-- b a y o – b a y o, signing out!


	4. Toushirou, the Mysterious Swordsman

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Oh my goodness, I love you guys. Seriously. You gave me the fuel I needed. X3 Nine reviews on my last chapter!? And Twenty-two reviews in all!? I LOVE YOU! –cries- You reviewers made my day. ;w ; So just for you guys, I had another quick update… and this is where Megumi makes a fascinating discovery about our favorite Shinigami! It's another long one, and it may be a little confusing—if so, I'm sorry, but all will be explained in chapters to come. In the next few chapters there will be plot development, and you guys will finally get a glimpse of what I have in store for Furareta (translated "love hurts", if anyone was wondering). Once again, thank you guys so much for making my day. Keep it coming! I'm running out of fuel! –stabbed-

Disclaimer: Bleach is not under my ownership, but Furareta is. So touch, and you die—or I'll be really angry. Neither are very good things.

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F 0 U R :**_  
"Toushirou, the Mysterious Swordsman"_

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_Tonight's dream theme: darkness._

_It was rare for me to ever have weird dreams; I was a weird girl, I'll admit, but ominous, dark dreams had always evaded me. But tonight, my dream was anything but normal. _

_The setting was Karakura at midnight. There were no lights in the streets, no lights in the houses, no people wandering the town, no late-night cars buzzing on the streets. Everything was quiet, and there was no noise—not even the sound of the passing breeze. The only source of light available was the dim moon, hiding behind misty clouds; it cast a weak, silvery glow on the slumbering town. Looking over it in a bird's-eye perspective, it would remind you of a deserted ghost town. There was no sign of anything with life residing in it. It was terrifying._

_And I was right in the middle of it._

_What made the situation even worse was that I was alone. I was standing by the riverside, feeling the cold, brisk breeze brush my face; I could see my reflection hovering on the surface, and the amazingly calm look I had on my face. It was as if I knew exactly what was going on. I was nonchalant, not caring about my lonely surroundings, and I looked—not only felt—empty. Dancing around my mind I could hear the shrill laughter of children as they pranced around at daybreak, the busy horns of cars as they revved up for morning work, my friends and I walking together to school. My form was lifeless, my eyes lost and empty, staring at my dull reflection—_

_--and the sounds shattered._

_The shrill cries of children turned into agonizing, painful screams; the revving of cars turned into the burning collision of vehicles on the streets; my friends had disappeared and I was left alone. Everything in my mind's eye had vanished in a puff of smoke, and I was left alone on the riverbank. The only company I had was my lifeless reflection staring at me from the surface of the river. The wind was silently hovering around me, consuming me in a chilly embrace; my lips pursed into a thin line, my fists clenched at my sides._

"They're gone_," was the last thing I whispered before I woke up in a panicked, confused frenzy._

I sat up, my face glistening with sweat, and a cold breeze sweeping in from my open window. Grasping my head and sighing, I stared at the bright moon outside my window and murmured,

"What did I eat to dream _that_?"

* * *

I had that dream last week, and it was still bothering me. Every detail, every setting, every empty feeling I had—I remembered it all, and to its fullest. Why it bothered me so, I don't know. Maybe it was because I've never had a dream that strange before? A dream—more like the dividing line between a dream and a nightmare—in which I was completely and absolutely alone. And what was even stranger was that I was calm, as if I expected it. If I knew myself, I would've freaked out from the beginning… but no, I had a nonchalant look on my face, as if I didn't care.

It kind of reminded me of the look Toushirou always had whenever I looked at him.

"Okay, okay, enough thoughts about the dream… it's time to focus on supply-gathering," I told myself as I wandered the streets of (the crowded, thankfully) Karakura, just as the sun was about to fall behind the mountains.

Today was Thursday, and tomorrow was the Fall Festival that every girl in school was excited for. Our Student Council had an after-school meeting today to discuss and go over what we needed to do tomorrow. I was in charge of handing out the last of the flyers and getting the remaining supplies to set up props to attract more people. I had just finished hanging up and handing out the flyers, and now I was on my way to getting the last of what we needed (all I needed to do was get to the art store for some cardboard and… art stuff). It was at this early evening time that most of the Karakura residents were beginning to go home, and stores were losing their crowds—thank goodness.

I passed the grocery store on my way to the art store; apparently, there was still a crowd around here. I held my breath and dug into the crowd, pushing my way through. This is how every store was on Saturdays—in fact, this place was an absolute _menace_ on Saturdays.

"Excuse me, pardon me! Sorry, trying to get through! Oh, was that your foot? Sorry! Ooow—that was my head!"

I could see light at the end of my trials, and I gave one final shove—right into some unlucky person who decided to walk right in front of me.

As expected, there was a painful collision, and I had accidentally tackled my victim head-first, sending me forward and my victim back. Immediately the crowd scattered, making room for us. Oh, _now_ they scatter. I could feel the heat rushing to my face in embarrassment, and finally my eyes opened to begin apologizing fiercely to the person I had brought down with me. I bit my lip hard as I gazed into the face of the person I had wrongfully tackled.

You can probably guess who it was.

Teal green eyes were narrowed angrily at me from under me, their body stiff under my weight. I could hear suggestive coughs around us, and the crowd began to disperse. Adults left shaking their heads, mumbling something about 'teenagers' and 'hormones'. I guess what made the situation worse was that in charging out of the crowd and into freedom, I rocketed myself like a torpedo—and in reflex, my arms latched around he guy's torso for balance, and my head bashed against his surprisingly firm chest. And now we were in a fairly… uh, strange position. In front of a supermarket.

Why did bad things always happen to me?

"… Konbanwa, Hitsugaya-san," I giggled sheepishly, quickly hopping off of him and stumbling to the side. "Fancy meeting you here on a Thursday evening… after school…"

Why couldn't it have been Hikaru?! Why did things always center around dumb Toushirou?!

He ignored my offered hand to help him stand and stood, dusting off his clothes with an irritated look on his face. "Is it normal for you to tackle random people down? Or are you really that clumsy?" he asked more out of frustration than anything else. He had changed out of his school clothes and was donned in a black polo shirt and a casual, light pair of jeans. Raking a hand through his hair, Toushirou glared at me, waiting for a response.

I finally blinked my way back to reality and bowed apologetically to him. "I'm so sorry! Crowds here are thick, so I always try to maneuver my way quickly through them… and I usually got out without any injuries. … But I guess today was an exception… I'm sorry!" Curse him for being distractingly gorgeous… It frustrates me to no end!

Toushirou sighed. "Just watch where you're going next time," he finally said, walking off with an even more irritated face. I watched him go with a blank look. What was he doing out here, anyway? He didn't look, at all, like a shopping person... so he mut have been sent on an errand by Matsumoto or something.

So, out of curiosity (or nosiness—same difference), I trotted after him. "So, uh, what brings you out here in the city?" I asked. He was the last company I wanted on a shopping trip, but he was company nonetheless.

Hitsugaya didn't turn to me. "That's none of your business," he responded in a monotone voice.

Oh, Mr. Grouch. Did he not like people at all, or was it just me?

I kept a cheery, un-offended smile. "Oh, I was just asking since, you know, you don't really look like a city person to me. You seem like someone who would rather be at home reading or drawing or something," I shrugged, folding my hands behind my back.

"Aren't you supposed to be at home right now?" Toushirou mumbled, obviously annoyed by my presence.

I smiled to myself. "I'm getting supplies for tomorrow's festival," I told him, pointing to my backpack. "I was on my way to getting the last thing before I ran into you." Literally. "Are you going to it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"It'll be really fun—the Fall Festival always is," I pressed on him. "People from all around Karakura come to join in the festivities; the scenery's beautiful and the games are really fun. There's free food, too, so maybe you and Rangiku could come for a free meal since I didn't think you want to eat another one of her unique dishes if you had the chance to eat somewhere else, with real food, for free. How is Rangiku, by the way?"

"You talk too much," Hitsugaya stated, arms crossing over his chest. "Are you going to keep following me around when you've got something else to do?"

Oh, darn it. I had completely forgotten about getting the supplies… oh well, it was only one more thing. It could wait. I didn't have to get anything ready—all I needed was the supplies to bring tomorrow. The chairman will do the rest… since, apparently, they didn't trust something like the success of the festival in my clumsy hands. I couldn't blame them. "I have time… I have until nine o'clock until I need to be home."

"And you'd rather be with someone who doesn't want your company than have extra time tonight for yourself?" Toushirou asked curiously, finally glancing at me.

I grinned sheepishly. "Ouch," I joked. He got me though—why did I want to hang out with him? I never thought twice about the guy before. And I'd love to have time at home for myself tonight, because those free times have been evading me recently. I gazed at him, lost in thought; he just kept walking, looking forward. I don't know—something about him drew me to him. I knew I didn't like him—my insides were warning me about something coming from him, and I inwardly sensed that something bad was going to happen if I befriended him (which was going to take a lot of work, I predicted). But another part of me wanted us to at least become friendly acquaintances… he looked like he needed it.

Oh, that was what drew me to him. He looked lonely all the time…

"Nah, I think I'd want be with someone rather than alone," I told him. Metsuki wouldn't be home tonight, anyway; she was staying over at a friend's house and would meet me at the festival tomorrow. Takuya-oji had a soccer game he was going to watch tonight, and those were really boring. "We can be friends!"

He scoffed at the idea. "I don't want to be friends with girls who don't watch where they're going in a busy town," he sarcastically remarked, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "Just go away."

"I've noticed something about you," I said, ignoring him. "You're always by yourself. I've never seen someone act how you do; the lonely, antisocial guys I always saw at least tried to make friends. But you… you just seem to repel yourself from everybody. It's as if you're here, but… you're not really here. If it weren't for your looks, you would be invisible. I watch other people try to talk to you, but it always ends in you being unsocial and stalking off, as if… you aren't really here in Karakura to be at school, or have any sort of communication with others, at all."

He turned has head to meet my gaze. I could see he was mildly impressed by how I simply told him what I thought about him. I hope I didn't offend him. "So you're saying I have a hidden agenda?" He looked calm enough.

"Yes."

"Hm." A faint, tiny smirk curled at the corner of his lips as he turned away, plugging his hands into his pockets. "You're more observant than you look, Nagasuki. Impressive."

"Am I right?"

"No. I'm a transfer student from America who came for schooling in Karakura. Isn't that simpler to believe than me hiding something more complex from others?" He was becoming more talkative, and I could tell that he was lying and I was right. I didn't know how—it was just the way he talked. He sounded like he was toying around with my logic.

I played along with him. "I guess you're right," I said. Just you wait, Toushirou—I'll discover what it was that you were hiding from me. I'll figure it out sooner or later!

I stared at his smirking face, and I concocted a smirk of my own. Until then, I'll make it my mission to befriend him.

"You know, you're actually pretty fun to talk to. I used to think you were really boring," I smiled. "We'll be friends in no time!"

"You're funny."

I could already feel us becoming closer.

The sky was beginning to grow darker during our little stroll. The silences that periodically were shared between us were no more as awkward, and at the times where there weren't silences, I kept myself busy by talking to him—even if he only responded in one-syllable words, or annoyed phrases. The sun had long fallen behind the mountains, and the streetlights had flashed on. The streets had become close to deserted, a few occasional cars passing by us, along with a couple night-wanderers. The cloudless sky was colored in navy and the stars were starting to shine out of their hiding places, gathering around the bright moon. I didn't even notice the time fly by—Toushirou was being too much of a silent jerk for me to notice.

He was more of a company than I'd expected him to be, though—I managed to get him to walk with me to the store to get the remaining supplies (after some annoying whiny on my part). So now I was all set.

Hitsugaya didn't seem to be wandering around town for any particular purpose; but I did notice him look around occasionally, as if checking up on everything. Maybe he was looking for that one thing that Rangiku let slip? It wasn't until the night bugs started chirping in the trees did Toushirou finally pause, causing me to stop alongside him. It was quiet around us; nothing was moving, and it was a little intimidating.

I glanced up to Toushirou, a confused look on my face. "Decided to take a break?"

"You should go home," he responded quietly, eyes examining our surroundings. Right now we were at the entrance of the Karakura Park, which was on the whole other side of town; it was a fairly long walk to get to my house. I didn't realize I had been out so long. "It's getting late."

"We can walk back together! You pass my house on the way to yours," I said, grinning at my bright idea.

He didn't look happy about that. "We've already been together long enough to satisfy your lifetime. Go home." For some reason, he didn't sound at all mean. His actions were strange; he looked fidgety, despite how calm he naturally was. Arching a brow, something told me that maybe it was a good idea to go home. Dumb feminine intuition.

I glanced over my shoulder and to the hill in the distance that my house was located on. It shouldn't be any later than eight-fifteen—if I left now, I'd be home in time to save my skin from my easily-worried Takuya-oji. With a sigh, I turned to Hitsugaya, who looked like he was waiting for me to leave. "What're you going to do? Keep strolling?"

"Do you have any idea how nosy you are?" he sighed in exasperation.

"I do it simply because I care," I said with fake emotion, holding a hand over my heart. "But if you insist, I'll go home. I should be heading back now anyway."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

I paused in mid-step. "You're coming to the festival tomorrow?" I asked excitedly. He couldn't be talking about school; since the festival is hosted by our school, we get the day off tomorrow to help set up everything.

He was caught. "… I didn't say that," Toushirou narrowed his eyes me.

"Whatever you say, Hitsugaya-san." I grinned widely and spun on my heel. "I'll be working in one of the food stands. I'll see you there!"

"Hn."

I gave him one wave, and I was off.

Walks through the city at night had never scared me, whether it was dark or not. The streets were always lit, there were always lights on in the buildings and houses, and my favorite night ornaments—the stars—were twinkling above me. No, walking through town never frightened me… but when I got out of town to get to my house, that was when I got a little fidgety.

I glanced behind me; Toushirou was no longer standing in the entrance to the park. I wonder where the white-haired kid had gone.

"Well, this day treated me differently than usual," I murmured to myself, slightly satisfied by the break. When I first met Toushirou, I really didn't like him at all—his perfection made me want to strangle him. Yeah, it was that bad. But after today… our little bonding time (forced on by yours truly) made me see him in a different perspective. He was no longer the annoying, quiet, antisocial jerk that I saw him as at school; he was just quiet by nature and didn't exactly like to talk. He didn't force anyone to do anything, and wasn't afraid to say what he wanted. His demeanor was much more mature than I'd seen in any fourteen-year-old (I was guessing he was that age), and I felt like I could say anything to him and he wouldn't get mad… and this was just all by one measly afternoon walk with him. My outlook on him had totally changed.

It was sort of… respectable. But that doesn't mean I liked him. He was still a jerk… a nice jerk who was going to be my future friend.

It had been a while since I left the comforting, lighted confines of the inner city of Karakura; and everything had grown darker. The moon was my only light source now as it shone its silvery light around me and my surroundings, lighting my area. The natural insect chirps made me feel like I wasn't alone, so it wasn't that bad.

I was still a little freaked out, though. There were only a few more turns until I could see my house.

"Focus, Megumi, focus—"

_Whoosh—rustle, rustle._

Just feet behind me I could hear a rush of wind and the rustle of bushes. I paused in my step briefly, glancing over my shoulder. The moon didn't shine on anything out of place.

_Whoosh—rustle, rustle._

It came from behind me again—from where I had previously been facing. My blood froze. "… Hello?" I squeaked, my voice growing hoarse.

_Whoosh—rustle, rustle. Whoosh—rustle, rustle._

Something was circling me.

"If you're some kid who's playing a prank, come on out, 'cause I'm not sca—"

A bulky black shadow leaped out from the bushes, landing exactly ten feet away from me. My ankles locked beneath me, and I lost the ability to scream. Standing in plain view now, the moonlight revealed it to be an over-sized… dog-looking thing. Definitely not a kid. My eyes were wide, I knew, as I stared at the thing. It was standing completely still, beady golden eyes watching me; it had a white mask on, which made it look unnatural. I hope it didn't bite.

"Uh… good doggy…"

Its jaw was hanging open, thick saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth. Long, three-inch teeth protruded from its gums, and its nostrils flared when I spoke. It was as big as a freaking lion.

The silence between it and me was unbearable—and finally it sprang forward.

I officially hated dogs.

My lungs had finally regained the ability to scream. "What did I do?!" My legs drew me backwards in reflex, and I successfully managed to trip myself into a building—I had one more turn to get to my house. I had a feeling I wasn't going to make it. "Please don't eat me…!"

I sunk, waiting for the pain. Seconds passed, and it never came—but I did hear a painful screech. For some reason, it wasn't from me. Prying my eyes open, I expected to see my ghost form hovering above my dead body; but instead, I saw a flash of white. The sound of metal swiping the air sounded right before the unearthly creature (that was about to mangle me) was sent flying to the side, sliding across the rocky cement.

But that wasn't what had my attention. Standing in front of me, clothed in traditional black robes and a white haori, was a swordsman brandishing his katana. My eyes widened at the familiar mess of white hair he had.

"… Hitsugaya-san?" I murmured, my glossy eyes widening.

"Having you walk home by yourself at night wasn't a good idea," was the only thing he said as he flew towards the infuriated creature, his sword high above him. The dog charged at him, his slobbery jaw opened wide—and Toushirou swung down, completely slicing it in half. I held my stomach sickly and turned away. I heard the dog utter one last cry before everything was silent again.

My eyes were squeezed shut, and I held my hands over my ears. What had just happened?

After a few silent, still minutes, a gentle hand touched one of the hands covering my ears. In surprise I yelped, propelling myself farther into the wall I had backed myself into. My eyes shot open to meet the calm, careful teal eyes of Toushirou. _It really was him_, I thought to myself as I gazed at him stiffly. I must have looked like a mess.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly, trying to calm me down. He held a hand out to me. "You're safe now. Let's go, I'll take you to your house."

"H-Hitsugaya-san… wh-what j-just happened…?" With a shaky palm I grasped his hand, and he pulled me to my feet. When my weight had fallen onto my legs, I realized that my previous shock of what had just happened took its toll on me. I was exhausted.

My vision faded, and my knees gave up beneath me. I could feel Hitsugaya catch me, and he sighed to himself.

"Wh-What _are_ you…?" I whispered.

Before I completely blacked out, Toushirou looked at me and responded,

"_You were right, Nagasuki."_

* * *

**A/N:** Another 4000 words. Do you guys think this is too long for chapters? If so, just tell me… 'cause I don't want to be boring the heck outta you.

Well, this chapter is dedicated to the official meeting and bonding of Hitsugaya and Megumi! I hope you liked it. There will, undoubtedly, be much more to come in the story. Please tell me if I'm making Toushirou a little OOC (out of character)—if I am, I'll do everything in my power to make him IC (in character) again. What's Megumi going to do now that she's seen two sides of the mysterious Hitsugaya—all in one day (first side: going from mean and antisocial to bearable and fun to talk to; second side: Shinigami side)!? Find out in the chapters to come, which will be here… depending on how much you guys review!

So review, review, review!

**Responses:**

**Joster13: **Yay fuel! xD Thanks so much for your review, joster—I can always count on you. X3 Dodge ball has always been a favorite of mine, too, which is why I think it'd be fun to have Megumi despise it. Thank you so much!

**ROGMethos: **I have a thing for starting out a little slow in a story, sorry. xD But things are starting to pick up now, according to this chapter. I'm glad you're liking it! Thanks for the review!

**Demogirl193: **Thank you thank you thank you! That was very good fuel. X3 Toushirou is my all-time favorite, too, so it's always fun writing about him! Thank you so much for your review—you have no idea how much I appreciate it!

**Kana090: **xD First of all, thanks for the love! I love love. xP Here's your rightly-earned chapter! Thanks for the review!

**Rockleefan: **Thank you so much. xD Bleach is a really awesome anime, and I love it to bits. ;3 I'd recommend it to anybody. Thanks for the review!

**Meejin**: xD Thanks much! I liked writing that chapter—a nice humor element before the plot rolls in. ;3 I hope you liked this one, too. Thanks for the review!

**XxFr0sT3dSn0wF1ak35xX**: Thanks! xD I babble a lot in my chapters—I hope you don't mind it! Thanks for the review!

**MoonStarBeam: **xP I'm glad you found it. Thanks for reviewing!

**ChibiChibiLove: **Thank you soooo much! You're so cute. xD Here's your chapter! Thank you for the review!

Keep it up, guys! Your fuel makes me do marvelous things. X3 Until next time, see you…!

- bayo-bayo, signing out!


	5. The Fall Festival

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

You guys never cease to make me smile. ;w ; Sixteen reviews?! Oh my gosh, you guys are too much. I love you! Once again I was so darn pleased that I made an even quicker update—only one day's wait! Hope you like it. X3 I love the Christmas break, don't you? It gives me tons of time to write up chapters! I can't believe I'm already at chapter five! And it's all thanks to your guys' enthusiastic fueling. And for that, I thank and love you—with an everlasting love! And I'm very happy to hear that you guys prefer my long chapters. I wouldn't be able to stop otherwise, since I tend to ramble a lot!

So, here's your well-deserved chapter. The plot's just about to be revealed, and it'll get a lot more fun and action-like afterwards. ;3 Exciting, huh? Please tell me if you think I'm beginning to rush things—but I also don't want to be too slow. 'Cause I'm no turtle, believe me.

Once again, thank you guys so much for your reviews. I hope you keep reviewing for me, 'cause it's making me write quicker than I'd ever imagined!

Disclaimer: Same old, same old. Bleach ain't mine, but this story is. ;3

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F I V E :**_  
"The Fall Festival"_

* * *

"Hi, welcome to the Fall Festival! What flavor would you like? Chocolate? One second, please."

Everything was perfect. The game and food stands, the lighted decorations, the music and entertainment, the beautiful weather—everything and anything planned for the festival had gone according to our appeals, and the people loved it. Karakura Junior High was making tons of cash through this, and I think this is the most guests we've had in years. The scenery was wonderful with the tall, sturdy, and beautifully-colored trees, and the whole area was like a painting expressing the beauties of the fall season. It was a masterpiece, and nobody who came here regretted that they were here. Smiles were genuine and the happy laughter of crowds fueled the student body to doing their absolute best—and boy, was it worth it. There's nothing like the feeling of knowing that the overall happiness of our guests was because of our efforts.

I only wish I was feeling that accomplishment.

"Um, excuse me, miss?"

I shook my head back to reality and smiled apologetically at the customer. I handed him his ice cream with a forced smile. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Here you go—hope you're enjoying yourself!" As soon as he had left, I slumped miserably against the counter, a frown on my face. I just could not focus today.

Every time I closed my eyes for a sigh, the vivid images of last night played through my mind. The snarling monster that almost killed me, my robed hero who turned out to be the last person I'd expect to sword fight, and his confession to having a hidden agenda. I had fainted out of pure exhaustion and the aftermath of my overkill shock; he had to carry me home (which must have been really embarrassing for me), and when I woke up, Takuya-oji almost made me skip the festival to make sure I was okay (the sight of his unconscious niece in the arms of a white-haired, strange-looking boy that he'd never seen before must have been shocking for him). I had a dreamless sleep last night, and woke up sore in the back.

On my way here, I freaked out when I saw a lady walking her poodle and looked like an idiot as I careened down the sidewalk. My view of the mangy canines would never be the same…

"Hitsugaya-san… what _is_ he?" A hero? A samurai? A spy from America? I think I had already concluded that Toushirou wasn't from this world… or, at least, he was a little too good to be true. First, he's a genius at everything; second, he's drop-dead gorgeous; third, he's the most popular guy in school; and fourth, the most important thing, he knew how to use a sword and fought in strange traditional attire, despite how much his lanky body didn't look like it could take it. "He fought that creature as if it were nothing… he looked at it as if he's seen millions before… he talked to me as if… it were his job…" I was mumbling into my sleeve, my brows furrowing together above my eyes.

I was almost afraid to approach him after seeing that. I knew he had a hidden agenda, but I didn't think he was a late-night monster-fighter!

"Are you all right, Megumi-san?"

I slowly gazed up to meet a pair of bright, beautiful, electric blue eyes. A small blush was quick in coloring my cheeks as I immediately straightened myself up and started giggling in embarrassment. "O-Ohayo, Hikaru-san!" I stuttered. Curses! Hikaru always managed to show up when I wasn't in the best of moods—or when I looked absolutely horrendous!

The nonetheless cute boy simply passed me a charming grin, and laughed lightly. "Ohayo. So you're stuck at the ice cream stand?" he asked, leaning coolly against the counter. He talked to me occasionally like this before, but I never got used to him doing so; I was always so flustered, too flustered, to get used to him. But I loved it.

I nodded shyly. "Yeah, but I don't mind. I like ice cream," I murmured, my mind pulling a blank at the right words to say. I never failed to sound stupid when talking to this guy. "Do you, uh, want some? I have chocolate, strawberry, mint, cookie dough, mint-chocolate, vanilla, licorice—"

He interrupted me with another adorable laugh. "I'll take a mint and a strawberry, please."

Thank goodness, a time to turn around. I had to turn to get the ice cream, meaning I could blush all I want with my back to him. _Thank you, Lord, _I beamed to myself, scooping up the ice cream (as big as I could manage just for him). He handed me the money as I handed him the ice cream, and when I had securely stowed the cash, he handed the strawberry cone to me. I stared at it for a few seconds. "Did I give you the wrong flavor?" I asked.

"Nope. This one's for you," Hikaru grinned. "You looked like you needed one."

It took a few moments to register, but I finally smiled (genuinely, for the first time today) and gratefully took the cone. How did he know I loved strawberry? "Thank you, Hikaru-san."

Hikaru nodded, and bounced off the edge of the counter. "Whatever's bugging you, I hope it goes away soon," he glanced over his shoulder towards me as he began to walk away. "You look better smiling." Flashing another breath-taking smile at me, he waved and walked away.

I was forced back to reality when I accidentally shoved my ice cream to my nose rather than my mouth. Coughing and sputtering, I wiped off the ice cream with a napkin, although with a bright smile. I knew why I liked Hikaru so much now—he was too sweet for his own good, and he knew how to make a girl feel better on her bad days (and charming her while at it!). He was really nice to Riana too, which was surprising in an older sibling (he was older by a year; Riana was so smart she skipped a grade, and was in the same grade as Hikaru).

He was the perfect guy…

"Is that you, Megumi-chan?" Another voice protruded my daydream, this time female. Instantly recognizing the cheerful, perky voice, I gazed with a grin at the beaming Matsumoto who was prancing towards me.

"Oh, hi, Rangiku!"

Her pretty silver-blue eyes sparkled at me divinely as she leaned over the counter to gaze at me. "This is such a great festival, Megumi-chan! The food's great, I love the music, and the games are so fun!" she excitedly said, grinning all the while. "Only… I can't win a single game!" she added with a sad pout.

I stared at her, dumbfounded. "Then… what's all that strapped to your back?" I asked, pointing to the large backpack of stuffed animals and souvenirs. I could tell that she had somehow won the bag, too.

"Oh, they all felt sorry for me so they gave me free things! Aren't they sweet?" Rangiku exclaimed.

I forced a sheepish smile at her. Well, of course they'd feel sorry for her—she looked more adorable sad than she did happy. In a way, she was just like Toushirou; perfect and beautiful, stunning every male that lays eyes on her. And I'm sure Toushirou could get whatever he wanted if he pouted (I couldn't picture him doing that, though, so) just like she did. Only I liked Rangiku more—at least she was more talkative. At the thought of Toushirou again, I fell silent, remembering all that had happened to me the night before. I licked on my ice cream dully.

"Hey, you sell ice cream, right? Can I have vanilla, please?" Matsumoto asked with her large eyes on me. I quickly prepared it and handed it to her. "Thanks, Megumi-chan! I didn't know you could buy your own ice cream, too!"

I blinked at her, before glancing to my half-finished strawberry cone. I smiled. "Someone bought it for me…"

"Oh, really? Was it that guy with the red hair? He's pretty cute—your boyfriend?"

I choked on a gulped of my ice cream. "N-No! He's just…"

Rangiku grinned at me knowingly before spinning on her heel. "Don't worry, Megumi-chan, I understand—a crush, is it?"

"… Yeah…" I couldn't believe I was telling her this. The only people I ever trust with my love life's secrets were Metsuki! Yet Rangiku… I felt like I could tell her anything, just like how I felt with Toushirou yesterday. It was so weird what equal effects those two had on me.

She winked and began stalking off. "Good luck, kid!"

I waved at her mutely. I realized that I forgot to ask her if Hitsugaya came with her to the festival… and that she also forgot to pay for her ice cream. Not that I cared (one more free thing for her wouldn't hurt)… although I did want to talk to Hitsugaya about what the heck happened yesterday. The clock tower in the center of the event rang, announcing that it was noon-time now. I gazed up at the sky—it was still as cloudless and beautiful as this morning. There were still people prancing around the area, enjoying themselves; kids screeched proudly as they totally owned some games, dragging along with them tons of prizes.

I had never been good at games, no matter what kind.

"Oh, there you are, nee-chan!" Metsuki's voice rang out above the noisy crowd, and my head instantly poked out of the opening of my stand to look around. Sure enough, in the distance, I could see Metsuki's blonde head bobbing up and down. How she maneuvered her way through the crowd so easily, I don't know, but did I feel relieved to see her! I couldn't wait to get her alone at home to tell her about Hitsugaya's hidden agenda!

I waved, smiling brightly. When she had burst from the edge of the crowd, she greeted me with her adorable face, and glanced over her shoulder to tug someone else behind her. I blinked—she must have brought her friend with her. I kept a small smile—until it drastically fell at the sight of her friend.

"C'mon, Toushirou-kun! Nee-chan's stand is over here!" Metsuki laughed, pulling on the tanned wrist of none other than Hitsugaya. When he followed her out of the crowd, we immediately made eye contact; his eyes looked calm, as usual, but slightly more narrowed. I gazed shakily back at him after swallowing hard. I quickly looked down, finishing my melting ice cream.

"I've been looking all over for you, nee-chan!" the cute blonde chirped at me, hands clutching the edge of the counter. She searched for me with milky lavender eyes and rosy cheeks. Metsuki is too adorable for her own good—sometimes I wondered how we were related by blood. Takuya-oji said that she didn't look like any of our parents…

Not that I remember how they looked.

I glanced briefly at Hitsugaya, who was standing beside Metsuki with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look like he was enjoying himself. Nothing new. Nodding to him, I said, "Hitsugaya-san."

"Nagasuki," he murmured back quietly.

"You're good, nee-chan—I didn't think Toushirou-kun liked festivals, but you managed to talk him into coming!" Metsuki beamed. "He won me all sorts of prizes, but Rangiku-chan's holding them for me. Have you seen her?"

I just couldn't keep my eyes off Toushirou. He was right there, and I was sorely tempted to start questioning him like no interrogator had ever done. I turned back to Metsuki with a forced smile (although she couldn't see it, obviously), and looked to the right. "She went off to Yukita's stand. It's right over—"

"Oh, I know where it is!" she interrupted me, flitting off. "Toushirou-kun can keep you company while I go look for Rangiku-chan. Don't worry, I can find her by myself!" And before I could yell one thing after her, she had disappeared.

"She can't go running off by herself!" I murmured, wiping my hands and mouth with a napkin after finishing my ice cream. "Hitsugaya-san, can you go with—"

"She's fine," Hitsugaya interrupted, leaning on the counter. I pouted at him. Today he was dressed in a slim white sweater, light jeans, and a plaid scarf—once again, another gorgeous match. His green eyes caught mine, and no matter how hard I tried to break the contact, I couldn't. Questions were storming in my mind like an angry beehive. "I need to talk to you."

Pointing a thumb over my shoulder to the freezer of ice cream behind me, I mumbled, "Sorry, I'm on duty."

Toushirou reached behind the counter and pulled out a sign, which he neatly placed in front of me. It read, 'Will be back soon.' "Not anymore."

I growled at him and, after a defeated sigh, stepped out of my haven. I've been in there since I got here (which was roughly three hours ago), and my legs felt like statues. I met Toushirou in the front and childishly folded my arms in front of me. "Can we talk while walking around? I've been cooped up in there for three hours and I've wanted to see what we've set up."

Hitsugaya shrugged, not really caring. "If you want."

I made sure to keep a fair distance between our walking forms as we strolled down the cobblestone paths that the stands were set up along. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong ideas (not that anyone didn't, anyway). I tried my best not make any sort of contact with him for a while, despite my irresistible urge to pull him into a secluded area and start shouting questions at him. What was he? Why was he dressed like that? Did he know what that monster was? Why was he so calm when he fought it? And how did he beat it so single-handedly?

Why was I even resisting asking him? Probably because I wanted to keep my sanity. What if he gave me some wacky answer that will leave me traumatized forever? What if he really was a spy from America? I secretly passed him a glance from the corner of my eye—he didn't look like he was thinking about anything, and if he was, he was good at making himself look like he wasn't doing anything. Finally he glanced at me fully, to which I turned away from.

"I want you to forget everything you saw last night," he said casually, his hands in his pockets.

I couldn't keep hiding from him. "Believe me; I've been trying all morning. It doesn't work," I responded with narrowed eyes at the ground. "Hitsugaya-san… I don't even _know _what I saw last night, so I can't forget it that easily." I turned to him. "You were the one that was following me home last week, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I can't say."

"Why not?"

"I'm not permitted to."

"What? By who?"

"That's none of your business."

"After what happened yesterday? I think it's my business now!"

"That was a one-time thing. It won't happen again."

"How do you know? That's never happened to me before, in all my thirteen years of living!"

"I killed it. It's gone, so just forget about it."

I paused, an irritated expression on my face. Finally, giving into my temptation, I grabbed his arm and stared at him right in his face. He didn't flinch, but just kept eye contact with me. My eyes narrowed angrily at him. "The memory won't go away! The snarling monster-dog, you slicing it in half, and you doing it so easily it looked like you had done it a million times before! I completely cowered out when I saw a freaking _poodle_ on a walk! I'm traumatized for the rest of my life! I can't forget about it, so you're going to have to explain everything to me!" I shouted, frustrated that he, once again, didn't react.

He remained silent for a few seconds, and finally sighed. "I can't explain it all now."

"Why not?!"

"We have the whole festival staring at us right now."

It was then that all the frustration I harbored completely disappeared. I held his arm stiffly in my hands, afraid to look around. I saw a flash at our sides, and I reflexively turned to look into the lens of a camera that had just snapped our picture. Yukita smirked evilly at me from behind her stand, holding a camera. Riana stood in front of her, her eyes wide and confused; Hikaru was right next to her, staring at me in bewilderment.

I wanted to melt into the ground.

I glanced back at Hitsugaya. "Oh, crap."

"You sure know how to attract attention to yourself, Nagasuki," he responded.

Metsuki's small form hobbled along the path towards us, breaking the awkward moment. At this movement, the frozen crowd dispersed, continuing with their previous business. My blonde sister walked towards me, her only sight being the sound of my voice. She tugged Rangiku by the hand behind her. "Um… nee-chan? Are you okay?"

I quickly released Toushirou's arm, and he pulled it back to him. I could see slight amusement perk his lips as he turned away. "I'm fine," I said, despite the childish stubbornness in my tone. Glancing at Rangiku, I could see her curiously eye Toushirou. Metsuki stared at me, worried. "No, I really am! I was just, uh… mad at Hitsugaya-san because he did better at a game than I did. That's all." I lied right through my teeth. I turned to Hitsugaya.

He decided to play along. "She's a sore loser." Ooh, I _so_ wanted to sock that pretty face of his…

"Yeah, well, I think my break's over. See you guys later!"

I didn't give anything of them a second glance as I scampered back to my stand, where I sunk to the ground against the counter. The whole festival had heard every word I said, and everyone must think I was the dumbest person in the world. Yukita would never let me live it down. This was all Toushirou's fault—if he only cooperated with me and told me what I wanted to know, none of that would've happened. Sighing miserably to myself, I stood, and leaned against the counter. I picked up the 'will be back soon' sign and tossed it over my shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss?"

A lady stood in front of me, her eyes slightly watery and her hair askew. My eyes widened at the sight, and I stood at fuller attention. She looked vaguely familiar. "How… can I help you?"

"Have you seen my daughter pass by here? She's around your age with long black hair," she explained, her cheeks red from previous crying. "She disappeared from my sight a few hours ago, but I haven't seen her since…"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I haven't seen her," I responded sadly. I stared at her without trying to look rude. She looked familiar… very familiar, but I didn't know her at the same time. So who was she? "Maybe if you ask the teachers, they could help look for her with you."

The mother sighed sorrowfully, and nodded. Not saying another word, the middle-aged woman sulked down the pathway. I watched her go. Who was she?

I didn't see Toushirou or Rangiku for the rest of the day. The Fall Festival went by smoothly as usual after the big scene, and people seemed to forget about what had happened. Of course, they still laughed at me whenever they passed by my stand, but I could live with it. I still couldn't get that darn Hitsugaya out of my head, though; his words had confused me. He wasn't allowed to tell me what was going on, and after my rant, he seemed to want to tell me…

My lips arched in confusion, and I sighed. That guy was _too_ confusing. How could any girl fall for that?

And then there was that lady who walked by earlier, looking for her daughter. Her face was familiar, but I don't think I've ever met her. I hope she found her daughter.

Rangiku walked Metsuki back to Rangiku's house after the festival was over when they passed by my stand. She told me she'd be spending the night (again) at Matsumoto's house and would be gone the whole day tomorrow. That meant that I'm going to have to deal with this madness by myself all over again. I had to help clean up the area afterwards… along with the other student bodies who decided to be saints and help us.

That took an extra toll on my alone time at home. I was afraid to walk home by myself tonight, ut here I was, on my way. So far, nothing peculiar popped out at me.

I was so glad I didn't see Hitsugaya here, but at the same time I wished he were walking home with me just in case a mutant cat decided to attack me this time.

Karakura was getting darker a lot earlier than the past few days; it was probably because we were getting into the colder seasons. And I forgot a jacket. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself as I wove my way through the dark neighborhood, not really caring about anything anymore. My mind was so distracted and messed up that I was actually waiting for some mysterious rustle to sound in the surrounding bushes.

When I crossed by the place where I had been attacked, I sighed in relief. I was safe for the time being. My muscles began to relax and I was just about to make the last turn.

"Hey, kid."

I froze. It was a voice I didn't know. I guess I'll never get home peacefully from now on. Sighing, I waved a hand over my shoulder nonchalantly. If there was one thing I learned, it was to never talk to strangers—or to respond to mysterious noises.

"You want to know what attacked you last night?"

My limbs froze again. Now that was a trigger to my responses. Immediately I spun around, expecting to see someone standing right behind me; however, I could barely see that there was a figure in the shadows by the corner where I had been slumped against the night before. There was about fifteen feet placed between us. "You… how do you know about that?" I squeaked, slightly intimidated by his shadowed form. "Who are you?"

"No one of importance," he replied, not budging. "But, unlike your Shinigami friend, I'm willing to tell you what you need to know."

I blinked at the unfamiliar term. Shinigami? What was that? "Shinigami…?"

"Kid, I'm sorry to say that you're now a target for our animal Hollow. Why they're attracted to a weak kid like you, I don't know, but I just thought I'd give you fair warning since, you know, you seem to attract them. Of course, it may just be because they like pretty girls…"

I had lost him at the phrase 'you're now a target'. A target for… Hollow? What in the world was he talking about? What's a Hollow? "What the heck are you talking about…?"

Flashing behind me, in the turn to where my house was, I could hear Takuya-oji's voice. He was waving a flashlight. "Megumi-chan, are you out there? Who're you talking to?"

"Your uncle has impeccable timing."

When I turned back to the shadow, I nearly leaped back as a pair of cold hands clamped over my shoulders. A shadowed head fell beside mine; I couldn't identify any of him, and I knew why. He was wearing a big black jacket. I knew I should've screamed, or got Uncle's attention; but for some reason, I didn't feel afraid. It was as if I was in a daze, or maybe I was still distracted by so much that happened today that it didn't really register that this was actually happening.

When he spoke again, his husky words tickled my ears. "You know those vampire stories your parents used to read to you as a kid?"

My eyes widened.

"They're real."

And quicker than the wind, he was gone. I stood there, motionless, staring into the empty dark corner. Takuya-oji's voice caught my body's attention, but my mind was definitely elsewhere.

Shinigami, Hollow… what were those, exactly? And who was that just now?

'_But, unlike that Shinigami kid, I'm willing to tell you what you need to know.'_

Was he talking about Toushirou?

"I'll find out tomorrow," I told myself, my fists clenching by my side as I walked back to my house. Metsuki and Rangiku would be out tomorrow all day… which meant that Hitsugaya would be alone.

It was time to pay him a little visit. Now it was officially my business.

* * *

**A/N:** The Fall Festival holds many surprises, doesn't it? Poor Megumi embarrasses herself just because she wanted some simple explanation—but it really wasn't her business to begin with. Toushirou's being his usual anti-social self, but will he begin to open up to the persistent (and border-lining annoying) Megumi? Keep reading to find out!

So here's your fifth chapter, everyone. Who was the black-hooded stranger that stops Megumi? Will Hitsugaya tell Megumi what he's really in Karakura for? What did the stranger mean by 'the stories are real'? Oh, the suspense!

If you guys want the answers quick, please review! The more reviews I get, the faster I update (if you didn't notice). I got 16 awesome reviews, but I'm so tired from this sudden chapter (that I was planning to write tomorrow or something) got me really tired. So I give a shout out to my following reviewers:

**Kana090, TideDrop, demogirl193, joster13, XxFr0sT3dSn0wF1ak35xX, English-X-Rose, ai-bleach, Seven Black Roses, Lillix Vail, erinaMoonStarBeamChibiChibiLoveMeejinSlothy Girl, and Feather's Shadow!**

**THANK YOU! SPECIAL LOVE FOR YOU!**

-- bayo - bayo, signing out!


	6. Pinky Promise

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

If I were a car, I'd probably explode from all of your guys' fuel. You all never cease to amaze me. Another sixteen reviews and I've got another chapter written up in a single day again. See what so many reviews (by my standards) can do for me? Your united love makes my heart leap passionately (reminding myself of Rock Lee from Naruto), and I find myself loving my own story since you guys seem to love it so much. All this talk of Furareta being your anti-drug makes me tingle with delight! Thank you so much for your encouragement! Do you realize that in less than two weeks I both started this story and already have six chapters up? If it weren't for my faithful reviewers, that probably wouldn't have happened.

Most of you Bleach fans will know the information that is explained in this story, but poor Megumi doesn't—so explain Hitsugaya will! Hopefully you guys like it. X3 Things will most likely be a little confusing starting now, but once again, be at peace; things will be explained in chapters to come. But I will answer some questions that you guys might have, if you're absolutely clueless about something. :3

Thank you guys for all your support, and I hope you all stay with me to the end! And so, we're off!

Disclaimer: You know, I realized that I have my disclaimer in my chapters whether I write this or not. So this'll be the last time I put this here. –looks down- The disclaimer's under the title.

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER S I X :**_  
"Pinky Promise"_

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"_We're here with Jun'ichi Shigeru, live at the Takara household."_

_The screen widened around the middle-aged reporter. A weeping woman was behind him, with an older woman—her mother—holding her in a comforting embrace. "It has been twenty four hours since Takara Juria's daughter, Gina, had disappeared without a trace. Juria-san reports that she had gone missing at approximately nine o'clock yesterday morning in the Fall Festival hosted by Karakura Junior high. Gina-san took a trip to one of the farther stands, and never returned. After many hours of search in both the festival and the city itself, Gina-san has still not turned up. There are no leads to where she could've been but the festival. If anyone has any information or has seen Takara Gina, please call the police."_

_The camera zoomed in to the sobbing mother, who was trying to calm herself down enough to talk. "P-Please, Gina is such a good girl… sh-she'd never run away from m-me," she whimpered, patting her eyes with her handkerchief. "She was d-due to fly to America today… she's such a smart girl who has a very bright future in store for her! If you know where my baby is… please, please tell me!"_

_It zoomed back out, and Jun'ichi bowed. "And now back to you, Fuji-san."_

I turned the television off with a soft click.

Oh my gosh.

"That's why I recognized that lady," I murmured, losing an appetite for my cereal. Takara Juria—she was Gina's mother. You remember Takara Gina, don't you? She was the girl who used to sit behind me in Geometry class—the seat Toushirou took when he transferred in. I read earlier this morning in the newspaper that she was pulled out of Karakura Junior High because she wanted to go to schooling in America. She had spent a week packing and getting ready before going to the Fall Festival—the last traditional thing of Karakura that she'd be able to experience for a while—only to go missing the day after.

It must have been horrible for her mother.

I wonder what happened to Gina? She was too bright of a girl to get lost in the festival—she had been to it many years before—and as far as I knew, she knew Karakura like the back of her hand. Was she kidnapped? Did she run away (I doubted it—she used to tell me that her and her mother were really close)? This was a strange mystery. I don't think something like this has happened in a while… people must be really shaken up. Of course, I couldn't assume that the worst had happened to her. Maybe she went to a friend's house and forgot to tell her mom?

I quietly sipped my coffee.

"Or maybe… the Hollow attacked her." I sure hope not.

I barely slept at all last night. So many things had happened in such a little time that I thought I was going to go insane. I really thought I was. Part of me wanted all of this to be a bad, long dream that I would wake out of soon. When I woke up, life wouldn't start to take a turn for the weirdest; Toushirou wouldn't have shown up out of nowhere, I wouldn't have been attacked by the mutant dog (a Hollow, I was guessing), that strange man from last night wouldn't have told me those wacky things, and Takara Gina probably wouldn't have disappeared.

All of this started with Toushirou, and I knew that he knew something. Today, I was going to find out what.

The timing of today was in my advantage. Metsuki was out with Rangiku, my dad was at work until the evening, and the weather was nice, as usual. After I finished my coffee (I loved it—couldn't live without caffeine!) and made myself look presentable, I was on my way to the white-haired guy's house!

The only thing that could go wrong was if I got killed by a Hollow on my way to his house. I doubted it—Saturdays were always full of people, so I think that as long as I wasn't by myself for extended periods of times, I was okay. Confirming these thoughts with a final gulp of my coffee, I slammed it down, folded my newspaper and scampered up to my room to get ready. Today I chose to go out simple. I wore a light blue baby doll top and a pair of white Capri's, pulling my long, messy dark blue-gray hair into a ponytail. My hair was such a strange thing; it was very lightly curled and thick, which made it look unnecessarily messy all the time. Straightening it was impossible, and so was actually curling it.

I tried my best to make it look as un-messy as possible, however, and wiped my eyes furiously. I got about two hours of sleep last night, which probably meant my eyes looked horrible. I stared at my dark, storm-colored optics until I was sure I didn't look pathetically tired. Of course, I hastened in rubbing lotion onto my porcelain skin (I was so white I mistook myself for a ghost once), and put random bobby pins in places where my hair stuck out.

I spun in front of the mirror once, making sure I didn't look stupid in places I couldn't see. When I was eighty percent sure that everything was in place, I ran over to my bed to grab my backpack. There was my wallet and the things I was going to take to Hitsugaya's… I was all set.

"Hitsugaya-san, here I come!"

The trip to his house was short and sweet. There were people everywhere, so I was able to hide myself in the crowds and scamper up to Hitsugaya's house quietly and secretly. My heavy backpack thumped against my back every second, and I was sure I was going to be walking like an old man back to my house when I was done at Toushirou's. When I spotted his house, sitting innocently between two other houses, I paused on the doorstep. Hiding behind these doors was someone who I knew had something to do with all the strange things that were going on—or at least knew _what_ was going on. I wonder if Rangiku was in with Toushirou about this too. It was a possibility…

Shaking my head, I lifted my fist and knocked firmly. After a few seconds I heard quiet footsteps becoming louder, and finally the door opened. It was now officially time to begin my interrogation.

Hitsugaya stared at me with narrowed eyes. "What are you doing here this time, Nagasuki? More homework?" he asked, irritated. I was guessing Rangiku and Metsuki created a big enough racket together last night to get him in a bad mood.

I ignored his tone however, and responded, "I think you know why I'm here."

Toushirou grumbled to himself, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned against the doorframe. "Nothing happened, Nagasuki. My business is not yours, and we're not linked in any other way besides schoo—"

"I beg to differ, Shinigami-san," I interrupted him. His eyes widened, and his limbs noticeably grew stiff. I had hit something. "Fight any Hollow lately?" I pressed. "Or maybe you've seen some cloaked stran—"

His fingers roughly wrapped around my arm and I was yanked inside, cutting off any more remarks in public. The door slammed shut soon after. He stalked off, running both of his hands through his messy white hair. I could tell those words alone made his head begin aching. I wonder if he had as much sleep as I did? With a small, anxious smile I sauntered over to the couch and plopped onto it. Hitsugaya was too fidgety to sit, so he stood right in front of me, glaring at me.

"How do you know about Shinigami?" was his first question.

I took this as an opportunity to make him play his own game. I rolled my shoulders into a casual shrug, like he always did. "Someone told me."

"And the Hollow?"

"Someone told me."

"How much do you know?"

"Who knows?"

"Who told you?"

This was my favorite response yet: "That's none of your business."

Toushirou gave me the meanest glare that I'd ever seen, and I stared back at him with amusement, proud that I finally made him speechless. I clapped my hands together and laced them in my lap. "We can do this only one way, Hitsugaya-san." His green eyes watched me warily. "We have a question exchange! I ask you a question, and you answer it honestly. I'll do the same." I smiled brightly at him. I loved being in charge.

Hitsugaya crossed his arms. "You're so annoying," he murmured.

I shrugged again. "You in?"

"No."

My grin faded, and my pride sunk faintly. "What?"

"It doesn't matter if you know about Shinigami," Toushirou sighed. "I'll just have to replace your memories."

My eyes widened, and I leaped out of the couch. "What?! You can erase minds?!"

Hitsugaya stared at me. "Shinigami have to do it sometimes when people remember too much."

"Oh… so you _are_ a Shinigami!" I said excitedly. "What's a Shinigami?"

"I shouldn't have left you remembering everything that night," Toushirou murmured, holding a hand over his forehead. "Wait here. I'm going to get the Memory Chikan…"

"Wait, wait, wait. I don't want to forget everything!" I yelped, blocking his path.

He pushed by me, aggravated. "That's not for you to decide."

"They're _my_ memories! Of course it's for me to decide!" I shouted, pulling on his arm. Of course, I wasn't the one pulling—he was dragging me along. I hated being so weak.

He paused, swiping my grip off of him. It was like swatting a fly off his arm. "You honestly want to remember being eaten by a Hollow? You'd be better off not remembering," he said, turning away. He was walking to his room. "Maybe you'd regain some of your sanity—"

"Please don't!" I interrupted him, once again standing in his path. "I want to help you!"

"There's nothing to help me with!" he almost shouted, walking past me. "You'll live a normal life after this! Erasing your memories doesn't even hurt!"

I followed him like a whining puppy into his room, where he began digging into his drawer. "Please!"

"You humans are so annoying!"

I paused. "You're not human?"

Toushirou finally pulled something out. I eyed it with utmost curiosity. It looked like one of those candy dispensers, only it had a weird spring-thing on the top. I guessed it didn't dispense candy. "What the heck is _that_?"

"This is going to replace your memory of everything that happened with something else," he explained, walking towards me. "You'll forget ever meeting me and ever being attacked, and your life will flow normally."

"Gah! Get away from me!" I screamed, running to the farthest corner of the room. Toushirou sauntered to me, his eyes half-lidded in annoyance. "Please don't! I want to remember!" I pleaded as he cornered me.

"You're making this harder than it needs to be, Nagasuki," he rolled his eyes, frustrated. "Why do you want to remember meeting a Shinigami?"

My lips quivered. "Because… we're friends!"

"Give me a break."

"I told you we were going to be friends!"

"Knowing me any more than as a simple human is dangerous, especially for one who can't defend herself. You almost got killed because my reiatsu rubbed off on you."

I ignored the other unfamiliar term. "But—!"

"Just cooperate, and this will go a lot easier!" Grabbing my wrist, he pinned me into the corner. The strange device he had—the Memory Chikan—came closer to me, and I tried in vain to wriggle out of his grip. "He-He said vampires are real!" I whimpered as I squeezed my eyes shut.

Toushirou paused. "What?"

"Just thought I'd tell you, since I wouldn't remember it later," I murmured, my eyes still shut tight. "It might help you…"

The grip on my wrist softened. Opening my eyes, I saw Hitsugaya's once annoyed eyes change into curiosity. "Who told you this?"

I blinked at him. Apparently, vampires were of some importance to him. Were Shinigami vampire-slayers? "Do you need to know?"

His eyes narrowed at me again.

I took this as an opportunity to save my memories. "I'll tell you if you promise not to use that thing on me!"

"Nagasuki, this is ridiculous," Toushirou growled.

"Ridiculous enough to stop you from erasing my memories immediately," I pointed out with a grin.

He readied the Chikan again. "I don't have time for—"

"I know more, too! He said other things!" I interrupted him. Once again, he hesitated with an angry huff. It was so fun to see him angry. My brow arched at him. "You need this information, don't you?"

"Nagasuki—"

"Promise you won't erase anything! I promise I won't tell anyone you didn't, either!"

Finally he released the grip on my wrist, and spun on his heel heatedly away from me. I could here him mumble colorful words under his breath as he contemplated on what to do. I've got him in a bind now, which made me all the more curious about what he really was. He turned to me, and I could see a vein pop in his forehead. "You are the most persistent human I've ever met…"

I'll take that as an agreement.

I sighed in relief, and allowed myself to fall on my back onto his bed. "Phew! What a relief," I murmured.

Hitsugaya's form hovered above me as he stared at my upside-down form. "Now tell me what you know."

I held out my pinky to him, and he stared at it. "What?"

"Pinky promise first," I stated.

He gazed at my pinky longer, before staring at me like I was stupid. "Why?"

"To make sure you don't break your promise," I responded with a childish grin.

"I don't break promises."

"I don't know that. What if you and your Shinigami powers manage to sneak into my room at night and erase it without me knowing? I'm making you pinky promise so just in case you _do_ break it, you'll feel bad for the rest of your life."

"You're complicating a childish action."

"Just pinky promise already!"

With another aggravated sigh he linked his pinky around mine, and we shook. I laughed and rolled off the bed. Hitsugaya watched me with a roll of his eyes. "Was that really necessary?"

"No, but it gave me more assurance and amusement," I giggled. "But I trust you now, so I expect you not to go back on your word!"

Toushirou tossed the Memory Chikan back in his drawer, and shut it reluctantly. "Why are you so persistent on endangering your life?"

"To be honest, I don't know," I replied from beside him. "You know, when I was a kid, my parents used to read me stories at night about explorers and adventurers who had awesome lives in constant jeopardy. Wherever they went, they always had to watch their backs, and if they were too careless, they'd get killed. Maybe their influence is part of my reason."

"What kind of people were your parents to read you stories like that as a kid?"

I almost said 'I don't know,' but held my tongue. "I've always wanted to live a life like that—as an adventurer."

"You obviously have no idea how stressing it is."

"I will soon!"

"So you seriously traded a normal life for a life where your life is in constant danger?"

"Yup!"

"You're insane," Hitsugaya sighed. "Now tell me what you know. Who is the person who told you all this?"

I went to sit on the bed, and Toushirou stood in front of me. "I honestly don't know. He told me everything I know last night on my way home after the festival. It was at the place where the Hollow attacked me," I paused and looked up at him. "That _is_ what it was, right? A Hollow?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Former human souls—a ghost, or something close to a zombie, in this world's terms. They start out as regular spirits in human form, but if a Shinigami doesn't bring them to Soul Society or they're somehow attached to this world, they mutate into Hollows, which in turn feed on other Hollows to satisfy their suffering and pain."

I blinked once. Ghosts. So this had to do with the afterlife? "Is Soul Society like a heaven?"

"I guess you can call it that."

"The guy told me that I'm now a target for his 'animal Hollow'," I continued, trying to make the information exchange fair. Nothing could compare to the wonder and millions of other questions that sprouted in my mind from Hitsugaya's words, though. "But he doesn't know why."

"Animal Hollow," Hitsugaya repeated, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting. He said _you_ were a target?"

"Yeah," I responded softly. I gazed up at Toushirou. "Hey, Hitsugaya-san… are you a Shinigami?"

"… Yes."

"What is it, exactly?"

"We're souls—death gods—who have graduated from the Shinigami Academy in Soul Society. Our job is to maintain the balance of spirit pressure—reiatsu—and regular human activity. We usually come to this world when there's a Hollow disturbance, but sometimes there are more significant things that trouble Gotei 13."

Another unfamiliar term. I felt like I was at school again. "Gotei… 13?"

"Shinigami are part of Gotei 13, or the 13 Division Imperial Guards, which reside in Seireitei, where the Shinigami live. There are thirteen captains who are over thirteen divisions of Shinigami. I'm the captain of Division 10."

My eyes widened. "You're a captain?!" I exclaimed, pointing at him. He stared at me with narrowed eyes, and for some reason I got the feeling that this wasn't the first time someone freaked out when they heard this. "I mean, you look so young and you're only in middle school… oh wait, you're dead. You're dead?!"

Another sigh of exasperation left his lips. "What else did he tell you?"

I took a deep breath. "He said that vampires were real… and that was it. He seemed to know you, because he called you the 'Shinigami kid'."

"Kid…" he growled. I stared at his angry frown in amusement. "I'll have to tell the soutaichou…" he whispered, crossing his arms. He didn't even have to look at my confused face before he added, "He's the boss of everything and everyone in Gotei 13, and also the captain of Division 1."

"Oh," I responded, sighing. That was a lot of information. I didn't really expect him to be a death god, but at the same time I was expecting some crazy answer like that. As I gazed up at his thinking form, I realized that it really wasn't that hard for me to believe everything he said. Sure, all the unbelievable information would take a day or two to completely register, but I knew I couldn't look at Toushirou as a simple student in middle school anymore…

… But as a death god here for a special purpose.

"You're not really a transfer student from America, are you?" I asked, just to confirm my thoughts.

"No. Neither is Matsumoto."

"Is Rangiku like you too? A Shinigami?"

"Yes. She's my lieutenant," Hitsugaya sighed. I laughed lightly—it was hard to imagine Matsumoto as anything but a beauty to this world.

"Wow… that's amazing! No wonder you called her Matsumoto and she called you taichou," I grinned. "Thanks for entrusting me with this information, Hitsugaya-san."

He glared at me with narrowed eyes. "You left me no choice."

"Oh, you can quit the act now—we're friends, right? That's why you told me," I teased, sticking my tongue out at him. His glaring didn't stop, but I was already used to that. "What're you doing down here then, Hitsugaya-san?"

"I can't tell you that," he replied immediately. "You already know too much. I can't let you get directly involved."

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to let him stop there. "How could a little more information hurt? I already know who you really are, anyway—and the guy said I was a target for his Hollow, remember? I think I'm directly involved already. Can I please know what's going on?" I pleaded.

"Are you never satisfied?"

"No."

"You are _so_ annoying…"

I could tell he was considering telling me. He knew that he basically told me his job and what he and Rangiku really were, but he still had yet to tell me what he was doing here. I knew I was being nosy, and this information about him was asking too much—but I was curious. I could hear my mind faintly ring 'curiosity killed the cat', and I hoped my curiosity wouldn't end in me getting killed. I looked up at Hitsugaya—he was pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his eyes to prevent a migraine from getting to him. Or maybe he was trying to prevent it from getting even more painful. I watched pitifully, and suddenly I wanted to retract my words. My heart wouldn't let me though.

"Before I say anything, I have to warn you of the danger that will follow you afterwards," Hitsugaya started, holding a firm gaze between us with his teal eyes. I stared at him motionlessly. Now I knew why he was a captain—he knew how to intimidate people. "This is no bed-time story your parents read to you at night, Nagasuki. This is reality, and you asking me to be directly involved is equivalent to you literally wanting to live your life in constant hazard. In all of my years as a Shinigami, I've never heard a human want what you want.

"But what you say is right—you are directly involved because you're now a target of our enemies', and your safety is now officially under my watch. Your mentality alone will be at more ease if you simply went along with life oblivious to everything, rather than knowing exactly what is going on. In knowing more than you need to, you're putting your life and sanity on the line. Is that what you really want, Nagasuki?"

We stared hard at each other for a few minutes.

"Hitsugaya-san, I trust that as long as you're on the job, my safety is in no hazard," I started, not breaking eye contact. "Ever since you walked into Geometry, I knew that my life would never be the same again, and I was right. When I first laid eyes on you, I'd already lost some of my sanity, so how could it hurt to lose a little more?"

"You'll see and experience things that will affect you for the rest of your life."

"That will be my fault," I shrugged. "I won't be a bother, either—I could help gather information on whatever you need. My uncle's a librarian (and really smart), one of my best friends knows everything there is to know about Karakura and school, and my sister is wicked wise. We can work together to help your mission flow more smoothly, instead of you blindly searching for leads."

Toushirou sighed, stepping closer to me. He bent down so that our height was level, and stared at me right into my eyes. "Why?" he whispered. His sweet breath smelled like watermelons, I noticed, and I blushed at his close proximity. Good thing Yukita wasn't here. I hope Hitsugaya didn't notice. "Why do you insist on helping me?"

"It's… It's not like I don't think Rangiku is helping you a lot already," I responded, gulping. "I don't know. Hitsugaya-san, if I didn't suspect and knew everything I know about you now, you'd appear to me as a very lonely person. Even now I can feel your presence as icy and cold, and though the average person would repel from an aura such as yours, I feel drawn to it. I don't want to forget ever meeting you, and I want to help you."

He never broke his contact with me. "Why?"

"I promised myself that I would become your friend. Friends help each other out."

I expected him to whack me upside the head and make an annoyed comment, but instead the protected look in his eyes seemed to soften just a bit. I noticed—he had put a barrier between himself as a Shinigami and me as a human, but I was determined to connect us through the bonds of friendship. The lonely look in his eyes made me want to reach out to him, and I only hoped he would accept my hand of companionship.

The front door slammed from outside his room.

"Taichooouuu! I'm home! I walked Metsuki-chan home already! We had a great time!" It was Matsumoto. So much for being out all day. "Where are you?"

Toushirou broke his gaze and straightened himself. "I'm in here," he responded to her. He didn't look at me until Rangiku strode in the room, a happy smile on her face. When she noticed me, the smile grew bigger and she pranced towards me with open arms.

"Megumi-chan! What brings you here? Were you having a bonding time with taichou—I mean, Toushirou—like I was with Metsuki?"

"Cut the act, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said solemnly. Matsumoto paused, and glanced at him curiously. "She knows." Finally his gaze turned to me, and his eyes distinctly narrowed.

"And she's now officially involved."

**

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A/N:** This chapter is part one of Megumi's official involvement in Hitsugaya's business, and he's not too happy about that. After finally discovering what he is, how will Megumi accept what he, a captain, is down in the living world for? What is his reason for being among the living? The beginning of the plot is about to unravel in chapter seven! Stay tuned and review a lot for sooner answers!

Since my review numbers are getting bigger than I'd imagined (although it's definitely not a bad thing—I love you guys), I'll respond to you guys if you had any questions or something of the sort. But what I'll always do is recognize you guys! ;w ;

**TideDrop, joster13, Kana090, HitsuchibiXxFr0sT3dSn0wF1ak35xXLillix Vail, MeejinChibiChibiLoveai-bleach, Seven Black Roses, Naruto-Lover227, rockleefanMoonStarBeamTheKingJingles, demogirl193, English-X-Rose, THANK YOU! My love extends to you all!!**

Keep reviewing everyone, and to those who are alerting but not reviewing, I'd love it if you dropped a review by me, too! Love you guys, and see you next time!

-- bayo - bayo, signing out!


	7. The Start of a Beautiful Relationship

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey everyone! I love you guys, seriously—I was in a serious writer's block (those seriously stink), but your guys' TWENTY-FLIPPIN'-TWO reviews managed to pull something from my head sooner than expected. Wow, you guys never cease to amaze me. Absolutely awesome.

This is where (part of) the plot is revealed—but this is only the beginning of a story of action, mystery, tragedy, and, of course, love. One of you guys asked if Hitsugaya and Megumi would have a friend relationship only, and I answer you as a 'no'—they'll definitely be feeling something more than friendship for each other in the chapters to come. When that will be or how it will come is a mystery—so you'll have to stay and review to find out! ;3

If you guys get confused by this chapter, I'll answer any questions you might have about it. But until then, I hope you read and review! Don't forget to enjoy!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER S E V E N :  
**_"The Start of a Beautiful Relationship"_

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Involve: it meant "to affect, as something within the scope of operation."

I sat there for so long staring at the nonchalant face of Toushirou after his decisive words of me being involved in their operation; and let me tell you, I was definitely affected. I didn't know whether it was for the best or for the worst, but right then I felt pretty darn important. It was as if Hitsugaya finally accepted my desire to be his friend and let me in. Either that or he was getting annoyed with my constant pleadings. I was pretty renowned for begging my way to get the things I want. But then again, Toushirou didn't exactly look like one for giving in to pathetic complaints…

Well, whatever his reason for letting me in on the secret that he had tried so hard to protect, I was glad he did; I felt like I had taken my first step towards his trust. If I had to beg and plead for him for the first step, I wonder how hard it was going to be until he finally truly trusted me?

Thinking this as our little trio of Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and me wandered back to the living room, I took one glance at Toushirou's now irritated face (probably because he had realized that he actually decided to tell me what he was doing here) and concluded that it was going to take forever, and maybe even more than that, for him to accept me, a helpless human, as anything more than a bother.

I smiled at the idea. It sounded like fun, ironically. For some reason, he was pretty fun to annoy.

Matsumoto seemed to think the same thing as she continually bombarded her captain with information about her day (knowing that he could really care less), and praising him for actually opening his shell large enough to let a human in on their true purpose. When we had settled on the couch (Matsumoto and me, that is—Hitsugaya was too worked up and was pacing thoughtfully across from us), the orange-haired Shinigami caught me in a heartfelt hug and swayed us from side to side.

"It's about time taichou told someone the truth! I was tired of lying to everyone that I had a brother—we don't even look alike!" Matsumoto exclaimed, momentarily forgetting that I wasn't a stuffed animal and proceeding to squeeze me harder. I bit back an unhealthy cough; I had to get used to this, considering we'd probably be seeing each other a lot more frequently. "Now I can finally tell someone—a girl, even better!—about my problems, and they'll actually care!" she added with genuine emotion. "Taichou never cares about how I feel, Megumi-chan—he's a mean taichou!" I laughed, patting her arms sympathetically. Sadly, that information wasn't a surprise to me.

The said captain finally ceased from his pacing, and spun to face us with a crease in his forehead. I could tell that the excess excitement of the day had gotten him tired, and he looked like he needed a nap. His green eyes had been closed in concentration a moment ago, but now they were wide open and staring at me and his vice-captain with superiority. Again, he had another air of perfection about him; and though I was his self-proclaimed friend now, I still hated that about him.

"What we're about to discuss is something that you won't repeat to anyone but Matsumoto or me," Toushirou started, talking to me first. I could tell he was all business now with the narrowed eyes and grim frown—or maybe that was how he looked all the time. "This is a strictly top secret mission that only the taichou's and fukutaichou's of Gotei 13 are aware, and if I discover that you're leaking it to anyone, I won't hesitate to erase your memories."

I gulped and stiffly nodded. I had made a promise to him that I wouldn't tell anybody his secret, and if I stupidly broke that, then he had every right to break his. "You're secret's safe with me," I stated.

The white-haired boy nodded and crossed his arms. "Matsumoto and I thought that we wouldn't have to stay here for long because no evidence about our suspicions had been revealed, but when you told me about the man you encountered last night, that thought immediately vanished," he said, his tone hiding a restless sigh. "Apparently, we're going to have to stay here for much longer than we thought."

I blinked in confusion. It was so strange how Toushirou began explaining things; he always spoke in puzzles, expecting me to understand, as an introductory before getting into what he was really trying to say. "What suspicions were those?"

Matsumoto spoke up first. Hitsugaya had briefly conveyed to her the news that I gave him, and surprisingly, she was excited about it; apparently, she had been bored for the last five days because she's had no action. "A couple years ago, the Shinigami defeated a resistance who wanted to destroy Soul Society; it consisted of a handful of special humans who were amazingly strong, but were cursed. They invaded Soul Society and caused a lot of damage, but eventually they, along with their leader, were defeated."

I listened with increased interest and wide eyes. I loved listening to stories; and this sounded like my kind of story. Only it wasn't fiction—this was reality. That was what amazed me even more.

"These 'special humans', in fact, were a group of immortals with attributes similar to that of a vampire, which is why the man from last night told you that vampires were real," Hitsugaya continued. "However, these people are much stronger than vampires, and aren't restricted by the fantasies that this world has created for them. They're so different that they were classified as 'Bounto'; and instead of feeding on blood, their survival and immortality depended on the constant intake of reiatsu. Their curse is that they can't live as any normal human being, and they can't reproduce."

I mentally locked this information in a safe within my brain. "Bounto," I repeated, the name slipping from my tongue like liquid. Never in my life did I think vampires—or, in this case, 'Bounto'—actually existed. Sure, I was read countless stories about them by my parents, but as I grew up, those stories became simple fairytales. "So… your suspicions were confirmed?"

"They aren't one hundred percent confirmed until we're actually confronted by one, but if we take this stranger's words as truth, we can assume that there are still some Bounto around." The captain's gaze hardened as he added, "And, judging by how he worded things to you, there's more than one and they're in control of animal Hollow."

"They're probably worse than regular Hollow," Matsumoto shuddered. Animal Hollow—that was probably what attacked me before; Hollow that were created from the dead souls of animals, rather than humans. "They're stupid, but their strength is brutal; they can cause a lot of damage if they wanted to. Which means that if the Bounto have control over them (how they're doing it, I have no idea), then we're going to have a hard time getting rid of them."

"Not to mention that they have fighting companions—'Dolls', I think they called them," Hitsugaya said. "Each Bounto has a Doll that they receive as initiation to discovering that they're a Bounto; their dormant form is something materialistic and harmless-looking, but when summoned, they take on a stronger form."

"Kind of like our zanpakutou!" Matsumoto grinned. Zanpakutou—I'd have to ask Hitsugaya about those later. I couldn't remember to right now because I was too consumed in their unbelievable story.

"He told you that you're a target of their Hollow now, right?" Toushirou asked, eyes on me. I nodded. "That means you're going to have to be ten times more careful from now on."

"But why me?" I perked up, confused. I figured that animal Hollow had been around for a long time, since animals died all the time; but I've never been attacked by one prior to that one time. Why now, and why me? I always found myself asking that question: why me?

Toushirou shrugged. "I don't know."

"Maybe it's 'cause you're so darn cute!" Matsumoto cooed, pinking my cheeks like I was a child. I made a whiny face in protest, to which she endearingly cooed more.

Toushirou scoffed in front of us. "Well, whatever the reason, you need to distance yourself from dark places especially. That's where they tend to reside."

"That's right!" Rangiku added. "Don't walk by yourself at night, always stay in crowds, and don't fall for any hot guys, 'cause Bounto are usually good-looking to the human eye." Matsumoto winked slyly at me, and I turned away with a huff. At her words, two guys immediately sprang to mind.

Hikaru and Toushirou. They had to be the hottest guys I've ever seen.

Hitsugaya stared at me strangely, and I knew why; I was staring at him. With a heated gasp, I spun my head away with a small tinge coloring my cheeks. Beside me, I could hear Rangiku giggle quietly to herself. I nudged her to keep her quiet. If there was anything Toushirou didn't need, it would be the knowledge of me thinking he was gorgeous. He was probably aware of all the girls that thought that, especially at school…

"And be sure not to talk to strangers, whether they look harmless are not," Toushirou supplied. "You have a tendency to try and befriend those who you hardly know, expecting them to be absolutely blameless and become your friend as simple as that."

I gave him a teasing grin and retorted, "But because of that, I made friends with a Shinigami and now he trusts me with information that's classified as 'top secret'!"

Rangiku 'ooohed' from beside me and tsk tsk'ed at the fuming white-haired captain. "She's got a point there, taichou," she nodded.

"Shut up," he barked, causing Matsumoto to laugh. He turned to me, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "And I never said we were friends—who would want to be friends with an annoying, pathetic, clumsy person like yourself?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"With time, Hitsugaya-san, with time you'll acknowledge me as more than a mere acquaintance," I laughed, waving my hand at him. "Does this mean I can start calling you 'Toushirou' now?"

"No it does not!"

"But we're friends now—"

"Are you deaf? I just said we aren't!"

"Denial's the first step to friendship!"

"You just made that up!"

"So?"

"You're so immature!"

"You act like you're ninety!"

He narrowed his eyes at the irony of my insult. I wonder how old he actually was? Shinigami were like ghosts—so he could be over hundreds of years old! That was amazing. Nonetheless, as he glared at me, I glared at him back. We were interrupted by Rangiku's insane giggling to our sides. We stared at her in unison, our brows arched.

"You two are so adorable," Rangiku stated, holding her stomach. "You're much more talkative when Megumi-chan's with us, taichou—she should visit more often!"

Hitsugaya snorted. "You're insane; I lose brain cells by just looking at her," he corrected her, arms crossing like a child.

"_I'm_ insane? I'm completely normal, unlike some white-haired, green-eyed freaks I know…"

"I swear I'll yank that tongue right out of you—"

Matsumoto's laughing elevated as she suddenly popped up from the couch, catching me and Hitsugaya both by surprise as she threw an arm around both of us. Before we had time to protest, we were all involved in a group half-hug. Whereas Rangiku had the brightest, cutest smile on her face, Hitsugaya's annoyance looked like it was going to drive him to physical harm and I was laughing so hard I thought my insides would burst. With a merry squeeze, Matsumoto proclaimed, "I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship, ne, taichou, Megumi-chan?"

My laughing didn't stop as I yelled, "Eww, midget germs!"

Matsumoto and I both erupted into insane laughter as Hitsugaya managed to pry himself free from his vice-captain's grip, proceeding to chase me around the living room.

"I'LL SHOW YOU MIDGET!" he shouted.

I don't think I've laughed so hard in my lifetime.

* * *

It was almost sundown when I finally left the Shinigami household. As I stood there, staring at their house squashed between two other houses, I realized that I had just uncovered the greatest secret of all time; Hitsugaya Toushirou and Matsumoto Rangiku weren't school students, but undercover Shinigami on the lookout for opposing Bounto! That information alone has altered my outlook on everything; ghosts and spirits were roaming Karakura as I thought, waiting for a Shinigami to escort them to Soul Society. Animal Hollow, unfortunately, were lurking in the shadows of the daytime to feed during the darkness of the night, and Bounto had survived somehow and were plotting something in the shadows. What that plot was, I had no idea (as did Hitsugaya), so we could only assume the worst.

I felt like I was undercover in a sense, too. I was keeping this secret as if Toushirou and Rangiku trusted me, and that alone made me feel important; I was trusted (somewhat) by the two most gorgeous students in educational history! The thought overwhelmed me; I was so glad I decided to try and befriend Toushirou.

If this happened to me because we were mere acquaintances, I wonder what would happen if our relationship elevated to friendship? Probably the coolest thing! Being friends with a Shinigami was already a lot of fun; those two were the most unique people I have ever met in my lifetime. And that's saying a lot, especially after meeting my uncle and Yukita.

Speaking of Yukita, I'm going to have to face her flurry of questions on Monday. She caught me and Hitsugaya yelling at each at the festival (with me doing the yelling, so it was all basically my fault), and everyone saw us. She caught a picture of me grabbing onto Hitsugaya's arm, which was even worse (girls touching boys, especially in Karakura Junior High, was a very suspicious thing to the student body)—people were going to start assuming things about me and Hitsugaya.

Hah, as if I could like Hitsugaya that way—and God forbid if he ever liked me that way, too! It wouldn't happen, never in a million years!

The front door to their house opened, and Hitsugaya's white head poked out of the limited opening. "Are you going to keep standing there looking more of an idiot than you already are, or are you going to go home?!" he yelled in irritation.

I stood there, staring at him with a humorous smile, and with a small wave, I scampered off on my way home. Point taken—we could never become more than just friends. We were too different (excluding the whole Shinigami-human thing). I guessed he was in a worse mood now after my 'midget' comment…

With an amused grin plastered on my face, I rushed home before the sun fell behind the mountains.

Metsuki was waiting for me at home, as usual. She immediately recognized me as soon as I burst through the door (even my uncle—apparently, they were used to me stumbling over the ledge that met me as soon as the front door was pulled open, and once again I tripped out of habit). The little seven-year-old was busy making dinner (how she does it when she's blind, I'll never know) and my uncle, of course, was planted in his favorite chair watching the soccer game. I never liked soccer—or any sport, for that matter—and watching all those fit bodies run around relentlessly made my legs hurt. And I wasn't even doing anything!

"You're late, Megumi-chan," Takuya-oji said, his eyes never leaving the television set. Whenever I looked at him, I always saw me in him; we looked so much alike, we could pass as true father and daughter rather than uncle and niece. He had dark, navy-colored hair and pretty onyx eyes. His skin was darker than mine, but we had identical teeth. He was even as scrawny as I was. I loved him though; he was so protective and enthusiastic about everything, and worked two jobs with no sweat at all. Metsuki took care of the house while I concentrated on schoolwork (and occasional cleaning—yes, I was the lazy one in the house) and not killing myself because of my clumsiness.

"Thanks for the warm welcome, Takuya-oji," I sarcastically responded. I discarded my backpack to the side and walked across the room to get to the kitchen. I cast one glance at the television and murmured, "Boring!" I met Metsuki at the counter, where she started piling on me all the kinds of fun she had with Rangiku today. Her bright and happy smile never ceased to have the same cheerful effect on me.

"You're usually home early, nee-chan—what happened?" she asked, stirring a pot that had a very luscious scent wafting from it.

"Oh, I went shopping," I lied.

She seemed to pause for a nanosecond, and then kept stirring. I nibbled on my lip; I was caught. If there was one thing I didn't like about my sister, it was her sharpness. Blindness gave her many advantages; she couldn't see at all, but she could tell a lot of things from just hearing people speak. I was a horrible liar, so of course she noticed. She didn't say anything about it now, but I knew I was going to be questioned sometime soon. I hated lying to Metsuki—she was the only person I told everything to.

But I promised Hitsugaya I wouldn't tell anybody what was discussed between him, Rangiku, and me; and that meant I couldn't tell her that I was at Hitsugaya's, because she knew I wouldn't be there just because I wanted to. If I did end up spilling the beans to her, I could at least tell him I tried to keep it a secret before he erased every trace of him being a Shinigami from my mind. I wouldn't remember feeling bad about it or anything…

I shook my head. No, I wasn't going to break my promise! I couldn't!

"Nee-chan?" Metsuki piped up, breaking my thought pattern. I blinked at her numbly. "I asked if you bought anything…?"

I immediately felt stupid. Now she knew I was definitely hiding something. I'm so dumb! "I didn't find anything I liked, but I am really tired from walking around all day! I think I'm gonna go take a nap in my room right now—call me when dinner's ready, okay?"

I grabbed my bag and scurried up to my room before she could say anything else. I felt horrible, but it was what had to be done—for my memory's sake.

I closed my door and slumped against it, my eyes closed. How I was going to be able to keep lying to her about my relationship to Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, I don't know, but I doubted it would last for long…

I felt a cold breeze rush through my window and I shivered. _I guess I need to close that_, I thought to myself, standing up. When I opened my eyes to get to my window, I leaped back and bit my tongue harshly to stop myself from screaming. It hurt. A lot.

"I thought I told you to close this at night," said the authoritative voice of a particular Toushirou as he sat on my window sill, using it as a makeshift bed. His back leaned against the side.

"What-What're you doing here?! I just saw you less than an hour ago!" I almost screamed, both out of shock and the pain shooting up and down my tongue. "Are you going to start stalking me now?!" I stared at him, and realized he wasn't wearing normal clothes; he was donned in the old traditional robes that I had seen him fight the Hollow in.

"Calm down," he sighed, sliding off the sill. "I just came to give you something."

"Make it quick," I snapped, plopping onto my bed. "I'm tired."

"You're telling me," he mumbled under his breath, a cranky expression now on his face. "Matsumoto asked me to come here for the sake of your safety, so no whining."

"Fine," I sighed. "What brings you here to my humble abode at such an hour, Hitsugaya-san?" I asked in the fakest, yet sweetest tone I could muster.

"Our cell phone numbers," Hitsugaya sighed, handing me a small slip of paper. "If you ever need us, just call. But it has to be an emergency—no false alarms or pranks. Understood?"

I stared at him with a frown. He was talking to me like I was a kid.

"Yes sir," I saluted, delicately placing the paper on my nightstand. "Thank you."

Hitsugaya simply nodded and, faster than a blink, he was gone. The sudden rustle of my curtains indicated he had disappeared out of my window. I sighed, and fell back onto my big bed, staring at the separate phone numbers in my hand. After a few seconds of memorizing the numbers, I wondered something.

I wonder how much I could sell this for if I put it up for bid on eBay?

With an evil grin, I curled up for a nap on my bed, waiting for Metsuki's call.

Being friends with a Shinigami is already so much fun.

* * *

**A/N:** Yup, that's right—not necessarily vampires as the bad guys, but Bounto! I had already been interested in the concept of Bounto, and I applied it here in my story. I hope you guys like. :3 The Bounto Arc only appeared in the anime and not the manga, just in case any of you were wondering. If you have no idea what Bounto are, they're basically vampires (to me, anyway), who are immortal and really strong as long as they have constant intake of reiatsu, like vampires drink blood. Bounto live forever, but they can't reproduce, and each of them have something called a 'Doll' that they fight with, like a Shinigami has a zanpakutou. If you want to read more about them, just look them up on wikipedia. :3

I hope you guys aren't turned off by my idea, and I hope you keep reading. This chapter was more boring than usual (and a little shorter than my last ones, too), and lacks anything interesting about it because I wrote it while in a writer's block (which is really bad on my part), so I hope you guys will still like it. Thank you so much for the many reviews, guys—I honestly didn't think this story would be a success. :3 THANK YOU! Please keep fueling me!

Special thanks to:

**Kana090, English-X-Rose, demogirl193, joster13, Slothy Girl, MizuShadow, TideDrop, XxFr0sT3dSn0wF1ak35xX, Meejin, Feather's Shadow, ROGMethos, Lillix Vail, NotxYetxDead, erina, Ghost Girl Sora, ChibiChibiLove, rockleefan, MoonStarBeam, TheKingJingles, Naruto-Lover227, Ai No Kaze, and ai-bleach! I LOVE YOU GUYS! THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH!!**

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	8. Thoughts

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hello guys, and welcome to chapter eight of Furareta! I didn't think I'd make it this far, especially in less than two weeks! You guys amaze me to no end with your fueling and many reviews (I say that all the time now, but it's true—no words can express my thanks). I still have that accursed writer's block, but here's a chapter for you to read. I hope you like it. :3

One of you asked if any other canon characters were going to appear here—and my answer is, definitely yes! In fact, I already have a couple that will play a minor or major role. :3 So stay tuned to see who they will be! The next couple chapters will be a little more serious as Megumi adapts to her new life, but I assure you that they will be interest-keepers. I hope so, anyway. Thanks for the eighteen reviews, too, everyone—I loved everyone of them, and they all meant a lot to me. Please keep reviewing!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER E I G H T :  
**_"Thoughts"_

* * *

Usually it wasn't hard to start daydreaming in Kaminari-sensei's class, but today I was absolutely dead to reality. Right now, my head was beyond the clouds—it was lost in space. As my boring, cranky teacher drawled on about postulates, formulas, and proofs, I was thinking about something a lot more interesting: Shinigami and Bounto. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that on Saturday, the day before yesterday, I had discovered that Hitsugaya Toushirou was a Hollow-fighting peace-protector of Karakura, and not just an incredibly good-looking boy that decided to grace this school with his perfect presence. What amazed me even more was that I was friends with him (self-proclaimed, anyway), and I didn't feel as awkward around him anymore. Last week, and the week before, I had been completely restless around him; and today, that was all gone and replaced with excitement.

I had started my life as a friend of a Shinigami. I wonder how it was going to be like, helping him and Rangiku look for offensive Bounto? They could be anywhere and anyone; anyone good-looking, that is. Toushirou's already ruled out, and I'm sure Hikaru wasn't one (he was way too nice for that), so that only left… the rest of the population of Karakura. Oh, joy.

"Nagasuki, answer the question, please."

Faster than a blink I was pulled from my thoughts and back to Geometry. Kaminari-sensei was glaring at me through her thin lens, impatiently tapping her foot against the carpet of the room. The rest of the class stared at me expectantly. Reluctantly I stood, a blush coloring my cheeks. I gazed briefly to the board; she was doing a proof right now, and I guessed she was asking me what the next step was. I mentally scowled; Kaminari-sensei knew I absolutely stunk at proofs. I was about to answer with an embarrassed 'I don't know' when I heard something of a cough behind me.

"Theorem 24," I heard a secretly disguised voice behind me that I immediately recognized as Hitsugaya.

It was then I realized: she was asking me why something was true. "Because of Theorem 24," I answered awkwardly, despite the fact that I had no idea what the theorem said.

Kaminari stared at me in surprise, before nodding in mild approval. "Theorem 24: In a plane, if two lines are perpendicular to the same line, then the two lines are parallel. Very good, Nagasuki." She went back to drawling about more nonsense as I sat down, breathing a sigh of relief.

I had to remember to thank Hitsugaya when I got the chance. Being friends with him now meant that I basically had a library that I could talk to anytime. I settled in my seat with a happy smile; Yukita noticed it from beside me, and nudged me with her elbow when the teacher's back was turned. "What're you smiling about, Megu-chan?" she asked coyly, giving me a sly smile. "Thinking about someone, perhaps?"

I stared at her quietly, registering what she was implying; and when I finally got it, my face distorted into that of horror, and I whispered back, "Absolutely not!" She wasn't looking at me, and I knew what that meant.

I had answered at the wrong time.

"Would you care to share something with the class, Nagasuki?" Kaminari's voice asked me, and I cringed in my seat. The past impression I had left on her with my previous answer (thanks to Toushirou) was gone from her voice.

"N-No, ma'am," I responded with an embarrassed blush. Small giggles erupted around me, and I sunk lower in my seat. Unfortunately, Hitsugaya couldn't help me there.

The rest of the class proceeded in silence, no more interruptions from yours truly. I had abandoned my daydreaming and wisely decided to try and pay attention; but, to my chagrin, no matter if I decided to listen to the lecture or not, nothing made sense to me. I was starting to miss algebra; right now I seriously wanted to burn my text book. I was doing perfectly fine in math until I got to this class—and now my average went from a solid _A_ to barely a _C_. Finals were coming up in a couple of months, and if I could manage not to fail, then I could bring that _C_ up to a bare _B_. That was going to require a lot of attention and studying to the subject; which is exactly what I always tried to avoid.

I sighed to myself as the bell rang, and the crabby lady piled even more homework on us. I couldn't wait for summer.

I saw Hitsugaya walking by himself in the hallway, maneuvering expertly through the thick crowds that had begun to form. With more effort than I thought, I scampered to his side with a sheepish grin on my face. "Hey, thanks for helping me out back there," I said to him. "Geometry has never been my best subject…"

Hitsugaya barely acknowledged me as he responded, "You weren't even paying attention. What were you thinking about?" His big teal eyes turned to me, and I grinned sheepishly. The answer came to him without me saying a word, and with a roll of his eyes, he turned away. "Maybe you should really consider forgetting about all of this is if it's going to interfere with your studies."

Discarding that idea without a second thought, I shook my head with an expression that suggested that Toushirou was crazy. "Of course not! Life just got more interesting because of that," I responded a little quietly, so no one who decided to be nosy would listen in on us. My heavy backpack hung on my back, threatening to tip me over if I wasn't paying attention. Thankfully, I was. History was next; and I began to wonder if this Shinigami business was so exciting it would interfere with my favorite class.

I hope not.

I could hear whispers around us, and immediately my ears perked to attention and my head whipped around to meet the secretive groups of girls and boys alike who had mingled to discuss something. It took a second to realize what the most likely subject was, and I glanced at Hitsugaya and leaned in to whisper to him, "You know, I don't think we should talk like this in school."

He gave me a half-lidded side-glance. "You're the one who always starts it."

I pouted at him. He was right. Again.

"But why the sudden decision?" he asked, hands plugged into his pockets casually.

"I have a feeling people are assuming things about us," I responded quietly. When another bewildered face was his response, I rolled my eyes at his one-time ignorance. He was incredibly smart, but I guessed he was dense to the imaginations of the modern teenaged mind. "They think that we're… you know…"

Finally, in realization, Toushirou scoffed and turned away. "As if."

"Exactly," I murmured, suddenly side-stepping a good distance away from him. "So if we distance ourselves far enough for people to quit assuming things…"

"Then you're going to look like a moron if you stand that far away from me and still talk to me," Toushirou sighed. "Just don't talk to me at all. That will solve the problem."

My cheeks puffed in annoyance. He could be so mean sometimes. My eyes widened. Suddenly, an idea sprang to mind, and I turned heatedly away, my arms crossed over my chest. "Fine, be that way! If you're going to keep being a jerk to me, then I guess this is goodbye! I never want to see you again, Hitsugaya Toushirou!" I shouted, loud enough for the whole school and its neighbors to hear, and took off down the hall. I could see Hitsugaya's surprised expression as I ran off, and he shook his head with an amused smirk.

"Good riddance," he added after me, making the effect much more believable. I smiled, happy that he caught on to what I was doing. Let people assume that we were more than friends, and suddenly break up in front of all of them! Pure genius, if I do say so myself!

I finally slowed to a halt when I got to History, where I slumped in my seat. Girls around me who had heard my yelling whispered to each other that I was crazy, but I simply sat there with the biggest grin on my face. My acting always had a way of getting people to believe what I wanted… even if that considered me a big freak and absolutely idiotic for 'breaking up' with one of the most gorgeous guys in school…

Of course, he had no chance against Hikaru. He and Riana were absent today, thank goodness—the last thing I needed him thinking was that I had anything going on with Hitsugaya. The look on his face on Friday made me think that he thought that Hitsugaya and I were together—which was a really crazy thought in of itself! I really wanted to laugh at the idea, but I kept quiet. Maybe this would make Yukita get off my back, too.

A few minutes after the bell rang students began piling into the room. I received odd stares from girls and boys alike as they waltzed passed my desk, and I didn't make any eye contact with any of them. Hitsugaya was among those few, except he was the only one who didn't stare at me. He took his seat somewhere near the front of the class, pretending that he was ignoring me. Kouji-sensei welcomed everyone to class and we began our lesson.

First he started talking about his thoughts for our class. Apparently, he loved this class to death, and wanted to do something special with it; and he was leaning towards going on a field trip sometime soon. Everyone emitted yelps and cries of excitement as they applauded our teacher (this class was one of the most enthusiastic classes in the whole school), and he was thinking about a place for us to go. It was undecided as of now, but he said that we would definitely be going on a field trip this year. The thought excited me; I don't know how long it's been since I've been on a field trip. I felt like I was in elementary school again!

The rest of the class period continued in silence. History made me think of the past; and the past made me think of Hitsugaya's previous life before he had become a Shinigami. Great, becoming a Shinigami's friend meant that I would become curious of their past life… and that was bad on my part. I was sure that if I butted into Hitsugaya's personal life, I wouldn't be let off easily. My eyes trailed from the board to the back of Toushirou's white head, which was currently dipped as he took notes. As I looked at him, though, I wondered vaguely what time period he came from. The feudal estates? World War II? He was like his own text book.

The school bell rang sooner than I expected, and the dim realization hit me as I piled my books into my bag. If I kept thinking about Shinigami stuff, I wasn't going to pass any of my classes. That wasn't good. Once again, Toushirou was right; this was going to interfere with my normal life. But the thought of forgetting about any of this was farfetched for me—I could never do it! Only boring people would reject an offer to become more than just your average middle school student! Living a life of constant danger was only part of the fun.

… Or maybe I really was just insane.

My next class was Art, and that went by really fast. I sucked at drawing, nothing more to add to that. I couldn't wait to eat, though; I was starving. When the bell rang again for our eating periods, I sprung out of my seat so fast everyone thought I just awoke out of sleep.

To my luck, Yukita was nowhere to be seen at lunch. She had decided to avoid me, apparently, because I was acting too strangely today (mainly because of the whole 'break up' thing performed by Hitsugaya and me) and I needed to cool off before I rubbed off on her. Hey, it was no skin off my back; as long as she didn't bombard me with all of her usual nosy questions. I stared at the vacant spot beneath the cherry blossom tree that our trio used to sit under, and walked past it. Today our trio was currently disbanded, with Riana sick, Yukita gossiping with the popular group, and me seeking the companionship of a Shinigami. This was the perfect time to talk to Hitsugaya about Gina—if he knew anything about it. I stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking around. If I were an anti-social white-haired Shinigami who didn't like human contact, where would I be…?

I looked up. The rooftop—of course.

I was up there faster than I'd expected. Toushirou was sitting on the ledge, playing with his cell phone with a bored look on his face. When he noticed me burst from the top of the clanking stairs, he sighed, shutting his phone with a click. "You know, you're starting to get annoying," he commented dully, staring at me with annoyed half-lidded eyes. "If I would've known that you'd start following me everywhere after I told you everything, I never would have told you and you wouldn't know who I was." Nonetheless he just sat there, expecting me to ignore his harsh words (he was right—I walked right towards him), and added, "What do you want?"

I plopped down next to him, my bento box in my lap. "I came to ask you about something," I answered, shrugging my backpack off and pulling out my crumpled newspaper. "I wouldn't be here right now if my usual crew was here, but Riana's sick and Yukita thinks I'm an idiot for 'breaking up with you'. Very nice acting back there, by the way." I flashed him a grin.

He responded nonchalantly, "I wasn't acting."

I stared at him, my mouth hanging agape. With a pout I turned to my lunch, popping it opening and equipping myself a pair of chopsticks. "You really do need a friend," I commented as I stuffed some chow mein (which was leftovers from Metsuki's dish last night) into my mouth. I glanced at him, and looked around him. "Where's your lunch?" I asked after I swallowed.

"Don't have one," he responded. "What do you want?"

He watched me as I munched down half of my meal before handing it to him. He stared at it, then at me. "I want to give you my lunch since you don't have one," I responded. "Did Rangiku not make anything to your liking this morning?"

He glared at me without a response. "I don't want it."

My brow arched in unbelief. "C'mon, growing boys need to eat. You're already skinny enough as it is," I responded, lightly shoving it into his chest. Toushirou accepted it with annoyance. "You'll never grow taller if you don't eat a full three meals each day."

He had already taken a bite, and proceeded to finish it. I wasn't sure if it was because he actually was really hungry or if he wanted to grow. He glared at me after my last comment.

With a sheepish grin I smoothed out the newspaper as best as I could. "I was going to show you and Rangiku this yesterday, but I forgot," I said as he ate. After taking a brief look at the front page for the specific article, I pointed at it and showed it to him. "This is Takara Gina, the girl who used to sit behind me in Geometry. Now you sit there," I started. "It says here that Gina disappeared after the Fall Festival, and hasn't shown up since. I read yesterday and today's paper, but there's the same result in each; Gina has simply vanished."

Toushirou finished the meal and placed the empty lunch box beside him. I scooted closer to him as he curiously eyed the paper. "You're saying this might be related to the Bounto?" he asked, eyes lifting from the paper to meet mine.

I nodded. "Don't you think it's strange that Gina disappeared right before I was confronted by that man?" I asked. "What if she didn't just disappear, but… she was kidnapped by them!"

Toushirou considered the idea in his head. "If that were the case, either she's a hostage or she's already dead," he responded, staring up at me with cold eyes. I gulped as he added, "Once a Bounto has fed on a human, they turn to ash."

I didn't want any of that to happen to Gina. "What else do you think could've happened to her?"

Hitsugaya thought for a while before he answered, "A Hollow could've gotten to her, but if that happened, then she's definitely dead."

"Hitsugaya-san!"

"It's the truth," Toushirou countered, staring at me. "No regular human can survive a Hollow attack and live. You know that."

My defensiveness fell and I slouched. Once again, Mr. Perfect was right. If it weren't for him showing up at the right time and at the right place that night, I wouldn't be here right now. I owed my life to Toushirou. "Then… what option is there rather than Gina being dead?"

"None, really. Even if you're a hostage of the Bounto, it'll only be a matter of time until they suck out your reiatsu," he responded thoughtfully. I didn't respond this time, and he glanced at me. I was pouting like a little child, obviously not willing to accept any of those options. I heard him sigh as he added, "Or she could just be hurt somewhere secluded, waiting for someone to find her."

I smiled up at him just in time for him to look away. "Thanks."

The bell rang loudly over our ears, and Hitsugaya shifted to grab the bento box beside him, handing it to me. "Don't get your hopes up, Nagasuki. Now that you've chosen to be an idiot and experience more things than you should, you're going to have to deal with a lot of twists in your life," he said as he dropped it into my hands. He stood up and dusted himself off. "Sometimes you can't do anything but assume the worst in a situation. If you can't handle my thoughts, no matter how cold, as I lay them out to you, you're not going to be able to handle life when it lays reality before you, despite how gruesome it may be."

I watched him as he began walking off. "I can't keep discussing things like this with you if you're not willing to consider both the good and bad of a scenario. But I'll keep an eye out for Takara, if you're that sure she's alive."

His words echoed in my head long after he had disappeared, and I sat there, unblinking, on the rooftop. Was he saying that I was weak? That I couldn't handle the truth? It wasn't until the school bell rang again that I finally was snapped back to reality, and I gathered up my things. Was I really weak? Was I really cut out for living my life as a friend of a Shinigami? Wondering these things as I trailed down the staircase, I hugged my backpack subconsciously closer to me.

No, I wasn't weak—I was just concerned about Gina. That was all. Toushirou didn't know what he was talking about…

But, as the rest of the school day drawled on, I wasn't in my attentive mood. Toushirou and I didn't talk for the rest of the day, and as I was walking home that afternoon, I wondered just what kind of person Toushirou really was. He was a captain in Gotei 13, a superior to those under him; that meant he was well-experienced in the art of battle, talk, and mentality. He was wise. He knew what he was talking about when he talked. I, on the other hand, had very little experiences. I was clumsy, I was often looked down on… and most of the time, I had no idea what I was talking about.

When I passed by Hitsugaya's house, I briefly paused before continuing. Hitsugaya was someone I knew I could trust—and I knew that feeling wasn't mutual. Was it because I was weak? Was it because I couldn't handle the truth sometimes, despite how wrong or unfair it might be? Could I accept that Gina could be both alive and well with her mother, as well as dead to this world?

My innards screamed 'no'.

My stomach twisted at the thoughts, and when I reached home, I immediately collapsed on my bed. Metsuki was taking a nap, and I didn't want to bother her. I couldn't anyway—not only because I couldn't tell her what I was hiding from her, but also because I wasn't in a talking mood. As the sun fell behind the mountains for another round of night, I sauntered over to the window and robotically shut it.

I climbed back into my bed, burying my face in my pillow. My head had started hurting from all my thinking and my senses had taken a crash dive as the feeling of exhaustion washed over me. I had began to fall asleep with Toushirou's words ringing clearly in my mind, as if he were there to say them all over again. My eyes slowly closed as I tried to straighten out everything good enough for me to sleep in peace.

Hanging out with a Shinigami made me think too much.

… Or maybe that was just Toushirou.

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**A/N:** Another chapter written while I have a writer's block. :3 A quick update for my faithful reviewers, despite how trashy it may be. This one's shorter, too, being a little over 3500. Hope you guys don't mind that. There's not that much humor in here, but Toushirou is starting to make Megumi think about herself more than she wants to; what will happen now that Megumi not only is a part of the Shinigami life, but will soon experience what Shinigami experience? In case you didn't notice, there will definitely be some character building in store for cute little Megumi.

I hope you all like it, and thanks again for the reviews! The next chapter will be up depending on how much you guys review! Fuel, fuel, fuel:3

THANKS TO...

**Naruto-Lover227, XxFr0sT3dSn0wF1ak35xX, Meejin, ChibiChibiLove, erina, Seven Black Roses, Lillix Vail, rockleefan, Slothy Girl, MoonStarBeam, Courtmaster Rin, demongirl193, Aoi no Kaze, Feather's Shadow, English-X-Rose, joster13, ai-bleach, and TideDrop, THANK YOU!**

**I love you guys—please keep reviewing. :3**

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	9. Gina

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Thank you guys for still being interested, despite my last sucky chapter. xP My Writer's Block is going away, thank goodness, and I've managed to put up another chapter to (try to) make up for the last. It's much longer, being 4200 words, and I'm thankful for that. And once again, thank you everyone for the eighteen reviews—they helped me with both the chapter and my Writer's Block. You guys are like the remedy for everything story-related for me. I LOVE YOU!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER N I N E :  
**_"Gina"_

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_I was running as fast as I could away from him._

_Like my previous dream, I was abandoned and alone in a dark, midnight setting in Karakura Town. The wind was still and the scenery was dark and eerie. The only sound that one could hear would be my hoarse breaths as I careened down the river bank, and surely the intense throbbing of my heart against my ribcage. The moon hung, completely uncovered, in the cloudless sky with millions of twinkling stars gathering around it, casting an ethereal glow on the empty town. I gulped, tempted to look back to see my progress, but knew I couldn't; I couldn't hear him, but I knew my pursuer was hot on my tail._

_I didn't know what I was running from. It could've been a thief, a Hollow, a Bounto—it could be someone who tried to help me, for all I knew. I didn't know anymore; all I knew was that I had to keep running, or something bad was going to happen to me. That was something that I didn't want happening._

_At night, Karakura Town was like a twisted labyrinth that my dream cast as a horrible illusion for me. I turned, screeched down the pavement, and turned again, only to find myself running into a dead end. The riverbank was a lot safer than being hidden in here, I knew; my pursuer could corner me easily, while the riverbank was like an endless road to who knows where. But nonetheless, I had taken a turn for the worse, and once again found myself facing a thick brick wall._

_I spun, knowing I was cornered—and behind me, shrouded in darkness, was the person who broke no sweat chasing me down. I was breathing as hard as a dog after a morning jog, only ten times more; my legs threatened to give out under me, but my fear strengthened them._

"_How do you like your life of adventure, kid?" the shadowed man sneered, a row of glinting teeth shining from within the darkness._

I jolted awake, my eyes wide and breaths labored. With a shaky sigh my palm lifted to massage my aching temples, a disgruntled look on my exhausted face. Dawn had just begun to filter in through the window, and with a half-awake consciousness, I glanced at my alarm clock. Squinting, I registered the time and slammed my palm down on it just when it started ringing. I had woken up just before I actually had to—it was seven o'clock. Time for school.

"Another wacky dream to bug me for the rest of the week," I murmured tiredly to myself, loafing out of bed and getting ready. I wonder what it meant. The only two dreams that I've classified as weird (both because of the content and the fact that I rarely remember my dreams in the first place) were the ones I've had in the past two weeks. I wanted to believe that it was somehow a premonition of the future to come, but then again, being alone in a dark Karakura wasn't my type of dream scene. And the person that was chasing me—his voice reminded me of the man who confronted me after the festival. In fact, I'm sure that was him.

Maybe I should go to an interpreter and see what they say. I never did trust any of them, but for some reason their words were almost always believable.

I grabbed the newspaper on my way out. I was always a newspaper person, and it just elevated because of the scoop that I wanted to find—I had to see if they found Gina yet… if they'd ever find her. It was a fifty-fifty chance that she was in the possession of the Bounto, but the other fifty was that she could simply be lost and forgot her way to her house or something… she didn't have to be dead. It wouldn't be fair for her; she was a smart, sweet girl, and she deserved a long life—not to be used as food and left to sweep away in the wind as ash. Thinking about her made me think of Toushirou and how he's so mentally strong it blows me away.

When I skimmed over various parts of the 'missing girl' article, I sighed, expecting searches to come out empty; but instead, I found something interesting. I stopped at a red light on my way to school and read over the rest of the paragraph. "'Some people have witnessed a young girl fitting the description of Gina walking around the town at night. She was seen to be perfectly fine, but she has yet to return to her mother. Witnesses say that she didn't respond to calls, and always ran away when being confronted. Citizens are encouraged to keep a lookout for Takara Gina, and if you have any more information, please call the police,'" I read aloud to myself. My eyes widened even more.

She was alive.

I had to tell Toushirou—I wonder if he read today's paper already?

When I finally got to school, I neatly folded the paper and slid it into my backpack. It said that Gina was seen, but she wasn't acting herself. When she still came to this school, she always responded to her name, even if it was for people she didn't know or like. I wonder what happened to her. I hope I see her soon, too—I had to tell her to go back to her mom before she was attacked or kidnapped or something. I sat in my seat in Geometry, sighing. Well, whatever happened to her, I'm just glad she's safe.

Class started, but I didn't even notice. Once again, I was lost in my thoughts; and when I glanced behind me, I found that Hitsugaya wasn't there. He probably ditched… or didn't want me to keep nagging him.

'_I wasn't acting.'_

Was he saying that just to be a brat, or did he actually mean it…? I could never tell with him. One minute he's saying mean things to me, and the next he talks to me as if I'm his (somewhat) friend. I held my head in my propped arm and stared out the window; dark storm clouds were beginning to drift in, which meant that it would probably rain today. Rain… I hated rain.

I wonder why I was even thinking of Toushirou so much. Of course I didn't _like _him… we were too different to become anything more than friends. It must have been because he's a Shinigami, and a very strange one at that; a white-haired, green-eyed boy who was actually pretty reliable in a fight. I wonder what other kinds of Shinigami there were in Gotei 13. I hope I got to meet them someday… when I die, maybe I'll become a Shinigami and then get to meet all of them!

My spirits dimmed at the thought. I didn't want to die yet—I was still young.

Lunch was here before I knew it. The bell had rung in Art, and I didn't even splatter a little paint on my canvas before it was time to go. Something was bothering me, and I didn't even know what; I wanted to blame it on the coming rain, because it always had a gloomy effect on me. Or it could just be that Toushirou's words kept bugging me… it wasn't my fault that I was weak; I haven't had enough experiences to become strong. But was I to blame for that, too?

That darn Toushirou…

Today, Yukita was ironically absent as Riana came back to school. She looked a lot more tired than usual (once again, I blame it on the rain) and I wondered if she was still sick. I caught her during lunch and encouraged her to sit inside with me, just in case it started raining on us. Her eyes were a little reluctant for some reason, but we eventually went in together. Hmm, maybe she was still sick. She never acted like this, unless something else was bothering her…

We found a place in the cafeteria for ourselves, and I sat across from Riana at one of the tables. I stared at her curiously as she just eyed her sandwich, not even making a move to touch it. I stuffed some of my onigiri into my mouth and swallowed. "Are you still sick, Riana?" I asked, a tinge of concern in my voice. It was unusual to see Riana look downtrodden… as if she were upset about something.

Her dark eyes flickered to meet mine. "No… why do you ask?" she responded. I almost wanted to roll my eyes. I would have, if she were Yukita or Toushirou.

"You're not acting like yourself," I stated, taking another bite.

"Oh, no, I was just thinking about something…" was her next quiet reply, as her eyes lowered noticeably.

"Is that something bothering you?"

"Kind of… not really," she said. Riana once again looked at me, and she looked like she was going to say something else before once again her gaze fell. I stared at her with half-lidded eyes. "It's stupid."

"Stupid enough to bother you," I said, finishing my onigiri. "Go ahead and tell me. I won't think it's stupid."

Riana fidgeted in her seat nervously, and toyed with her fingers in her lap. My gaze never left her unsure face as a small, embarrassed blush rose to her cheeks. When her onyx eyes lifted to meet mine, I stared at her incredulously. Now she was embarrassed. "About last Friday," she started. I thought back to last Friday—it was the festival. "Um… are… are you and Toushirou… um… you know… together?"

My next onigiri fell from my fingers and little grains exploded from it as if hit the table. She was bothered because she thought I was dating Toushirou? Was that why she even got sick (I hope not)? Did she like Toushirou enough to be depressed when she thought he was taken—and much more saddening, by one of her best friends? I wanted to smack her upside the head and forsake even the very thought of it, but instead I calmly picked my onigiri back up and replied, "Of course not, Riana—I just got mad at Hitsugaya-san 'cause he was being mean to me. I could never like him—he and I are way too different. Don't worry, he's all yours."

I saw her face light up at my answer, and for the first time in our conversation she smiled. That was the Riana I knew—smiley and sweet. "Thank you," she responded, finally beginning to eat her lunch.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" I asked, finishing my lunch as she just began hers.

"… Yes," she responded after a bite. A small, almost dreamy smile came across her face as she looked to me, her cheeks colored in pink. "I haven't talked to him yet, but I've never met anyone like him. He looks so cold and demanding, but I've seen him outside of school and he's the gentlest person I've ever seen."

I smiled at her. It was funny how that sounded exactly how I thought about Hikaru. Of course he didn't come across to me as cold and demanding, but he was gentle and sweet—both in and out of school.

Toushirou, on the other hand… let's not go there.

Gazing at Riana, I realized something—she didn't like Toushirou. The way she talked about him, the look in her eyes at the mention of his name; it was like she loved him. It was nice to see Riana like this; I just hope that if she decided to tell Toushirou, then he would return her feelings. My face fell into a frown as a sudden thought erupted in my mind:

Toushirou was a Shinigami. Riana wasn't. Would it work out still…?

"Megumi-chan…? Are you okay?"

I snapped back to Riana's big, concerned black eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry," I grinned sheepishly. The bell rang above us, signifying the end of our lunch. "C'mon, let's get to class," I smiled, standing up. "I'm happy you found someone you really like, Riana—I hope it works out between you two!"

I couldn't bear to see Riana sad, otherwise.

"Thank you," she responded quietly, a blush still on her cheeks. She walked into the cafeteria with a frown and downtrodden face, and she walked out with a big smile that made her look unstoppable.

- - - - -

Before I knew it, school was over. Despite how Riana managed to cheer me up when I was feeling a little down (still about Gina, and then there was Toushirou's remarks…), the feeling of sadness came over me again as soon as I got out of school. It had began drizzling outside, much to my chagrin, and for some reason, I didn't feel like going home. I actually wanted to stay out and wait for the night time to see if I could catch Gina wandering around, like the newspaper said. But as I thought of the night, I thought about the warnings that Rangiku and Hitsugaya relayed to me:

_Never walk by yourself at night._

_Distance yourself from dark places especially._

They all fit under one warning: don't stay out at night.

It was already getting dark outside because of the dark clouds. People didn't want to get stuck in the rain so there weren't many crowds out; the streets had fewer cars in it, and man and woman ran to their houses, dragging their kids along with them. Maybe the Bounto didn't like rain, either? And maybe the animal Hollow didn't either—animals didn't like rain, right?

Hah, fat chance. Well, it gave me a reason to stay out for a little longer—and I trudged over to the place where I usually drown away all my worries.

The candy shop. What better way was there to forget about your problems than downing a lot of unhealthy sweets?

I haven't been there in a while; in fact, I haven't been there since I've met Hitsugaya. They must have wondered about where I went. Their owner and I liked to talk, and he was one of the greatest people to be around. He wore weird clothes, but he was wise, comical, and charming in his own strange way (I always liked to talk to him, especially when I had problems)… plus, he had three adorable helpers. One of them was this big guy who looked like he could rip you to shreds, but he actually is a very kind, considerate guy—just like a giant teddy bear.

One of them, though, was a real brat.

I used to come here with Metsuki a lot—she loved playing with the kid helpers the owner had. At the thought of my sweet little sister, my frown deepened—I felt like a jerk for suddenly excluding her from my thoughts. I _was_ a jerk. Maybe I'll take her out shopping on Saturday for a little more bonding, like what she did with Rangiku? Yeah—I'll do that.

When I rounded the corner to finally get to the candy store, I found the two youngest helpers picking up trash in the front.

"U-Um, Jinta-kun, aren't you supposed to be helping, too?"

"Shut up, Ururu! I'm supervising!" That one was the brat.

When the two kids saw me walk up, they paused at what they were doing to stare at me in surprise. Jinta turned to me first. "Oh, it's Megumi. I haven't seen you in a while," he commented, turning back. "What happened?"

I walked up to them. "School," I replied, shrugging.

Ururu bowed politely. She was always so cute. "Konbanwa, Megumi-chan," she greeted me. She reminded me of Metsuki, somewhat—quiet, but sweet.

"Nice to see you again, Ururu," I smiled, patting her head. I turned to Jinta, who was staring at me with his arms crossed. "Hey, is Kisuke-san here?" I asked him as the little black-haired girl went back to her work.

Jinta jabbed a thumb to the shop. "Yeah, he's inside."

I thanked him and stepped into the cheaply-made wooden shack, careful not to trip over anything and break the wooden floorboard. The last time I did that, I had to help pay the floor off… "Hello?" I called, knocking on the doorframe.

A voice that I recognized as Urahara Kisuke answered me from somewhere in the back. "Megumi, is that you? Come in, come in! I'm here in the back room."

I stepped further inside and pushed the green curtain that led to the room to the side. Urahara was sitting at his low round table, sipping some tea. When he saw me, a big, welcoming grin spread across his face. "Megumi, it is you! I was wondering where you disappeared to; I didn't know what I would do without my favorite customer!" he greeted me merrily, inviting me to sit with him.

With a small smile, I sat across from him. "Konbanwa, Kisuke-san," I replied, although not as cheerfully as usual. "Where's Tessai?"

"He's running some errands for me," Kisuke responded with his usual happiness. I could feel his eyes on me as I sat there, thinking about today and part of yesterday. "Why the long face, Megumi? I rarely see you without your smile," he asked, taking another sip of tea.

"I came for a little advice." In fact, I was waiting for him to ask. "… How do you become strong?" I asked vaguely. Urahara eyed me for a moment from under his strange bucket hat, before finishing his drink and setting it on the table. "I ask because I have this friend at school… and he always looks so lonely whenever I see him. I want to become his friend, and I thought things would be fine; but then he said that I might not be strong enough to handle everything that being his friend comes with. You know, like understanding, wisdom, and the ability to see and accept the good and bad ends of a situation. He's just that kind of guy; he looks really young, but he's actually pretty wise and smart for his age. Usually harsh words from him don't affect me that much, but this time, those words stuck."

Okay, so I was exaggerating a few things—as long as Urahara got it.

"Ah, I see," Kisuke replied after registering each word I said. He rested in chin in his interlaced fingers and gazed at me with a charming smile. "Megumi, strength in that sense is something that you can't just desire and it comes to you," he started. "You friend speaks like someone I know very well; and there is wisdom in those words. Attaining strength requires trials, hardships, and lessons from continual mistakes; and the first step to getting stronger is first acknowledging that you're weak." I stared at him with big eyes. "The rest will come naturally to you afterwards. You're well on your way, Megumi, for both acknowledging your problem and seeking help from someone."

I smiled at him, and stood. "Thank you so much, Kisuke-san," I responded. I could hear the rain outside began to pour harder, and I realized that I should be getting home. It was a short visit, but it would make me think for a long time. "It's getting dark, and Takuya-oji will be furious if I don't get home soon." I bowed to him, and walked out. "Thank you for the advice—it helped."

Urahara followed me out, a grin on his face. "Anything for my dear Megumi," he replied, patting my head. I smiled up at him. "Feel free to grab some candy on your way out—and hurry home! This is no weather to be walking around in. And good luck with your boyfriend!"

I nearly tripped over another floorboard and was barely able to catch myself on one of the candle shelves. I glanced back to Urahara, who was grinning at me as usual. A small blush rose to my cheeks and, not really caring to correct, him, responded, "Thanks!"

I ran over to Jinta and Ururu. They were drying themselves off on the porch. I quickly stuffed some candy into the limited free space in my backpack, gave Ururu a quick hug and Jinta a hard pat on the head and ran out. "Bye guys! See you later! Tell Tessai I said hi!"

"Hey!" Jinta whined, rubbing his head.

Ururu waved at me as I ran. "Good-bye, Megumi-chan!"

Kisuke watched me leave and grinned, giving me a small wave.

The rain was pouring harder than I expected as I splashed in every single puddle that was forged. The streets and sidewalks were empty now, void of people; and every occasional car light that I'd see brought with it a muddy splash onto me, making me freezing cold. This is exactly why I hated the rain—it got me wet, cold, and I was going to get a bad fever if I kept this running up.

The rain only poured harder and harder as the seconds passed by. I was starting to not be able to see.

"Megumi-san…"

"Uh?" I paused, looking around. Someone had called my name, didn't they? Was I hearing things? "It must be the stupid rain," I concluded as I took off running again.

"Megumi-san… help me…"

I skidded to a halt again. It was the same voice, only clearer and closer. I knew I wasn't hearing things anymore. Looking around, I saw that I was halfway to my house. Urahara's shop was so far away… "Hello? Is someone there?"

I turned around a few times, hoping to see who had called me. I arched a brow—it sounded like it was in pain. It sounded vaguely familiar to…

"Megumi-san."

I spun one more time to see a silhouette step out of the alley behind me. She was soaking wet and pale as a ghost—her long, dark hair clung to her shivering body. My eyes widened as I stepped closer. "… Gina?"

She gazed up at me with lost eyes, the biggest frown on her face. Her eyes leaked thick tears that mingled with the rain, and she stepped closer to me. It was then I noticed—there was a thick steel chain hanging from her chest. Part of it was cut off. "Gina… thank goodness! What happened to you?" I asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're so pale… and what's this chain?"

"I was barely able to escape," she explained quietly, almost too quietly for me to hear. Gina looked so lost as she stared blankly at me. "They took me, Megumi-san… they thought I was you. They want you."

My eyes widened. "Who?"

Tears sprouted from her eyes again after a moment's silence. "They're coming for me… they're not going to be happy," she said in a monotone voice. "I needed to find you, Megumi-san… to warn you, and also…"

I heard something large skid across the sidewalk. The heavy footsteps of a four-legged animal came rushing towards us—they were getting louder. "Gina, what's going on?"

The black-haired girl held my gaze by grabbing onto both of my hands. "Please, run home. You don't need to be here when they come for me," she said. "I'm dead, Megumi-san."

I stepped back. "You're…"

"They'll kill you too if you stay," she cried quietly. "I wanted to ask you a favor. Please…"

I had no idea what was going on. Tears started to erupt in my eyes as everything began registering: her pale skin, her sorrowful face, her fear and the trembling of her hands as she clung to mine. Toushirou was right—Gina was dead. I shook my head and grabbed her hands. "C'mon, we need to take you to Hitsugaya-san. He can take you to Soul Society."

Gina held back. "Please give my mom this," she said, shoving an envelope into my hands. Another skid sounded behind her. "There's no time—run, now!"

It was then that I saw it. Its beady yellow eyes rounded the corner, and it was sprinting towards us. Instead of a humongous Hollow dog, it was its rival—a Hollow cat. It was huge. "Gina, that's…"

"Run, Megumi-san! They can't get you too!" Gina cried, shoving me away.

I was frozen. I had no idea what to do.

"Gina, I can't…"

"Run! Please give my mother the—"

The cat pounced on her. With a sickening thump Gina fell to the ground, the giant paw of the feline crushing her tiny body into the sidewalk. Weary-eyed and a thin line of blood running down the side of her once beautiful, pale face, Gina pressed, "Please!"

I gulped, and my body reacted as the cat turned to me with terrifying golden eyes.

I ran.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry, no Toushirou in this chapter, but you can bet that he's going to be in the next chapter! Who else is Megumi going to run to after another Hollow encounter? I noticed you guys getting impatient, too—and though I don't want to spoil the contents of my next chapter, there will definitely be some fluff between our two main characters: Toushirou and Megumi! If you guys want the fluff in its fluffiest quick, be sure to send in those reviews!

But I did introduce another canon who will undoubtedly appear again. Everyone loves Urahara! ;3

And thank you everyone for trying to help me get rid of my writer's block—all of your ideas were wonderful:3 I might even put some of them in later chapters—so watch out for those. You guys are so sweet to me—I love it. Thank you.

So, next chapter: **Toushirou in the act of (attempting to) comfort an ashamed Megumi! How will this turn out? To find out quick, send in those reviews! Plus, a special surprise next time!**

With special thanks to:

**Kana090, demogirl193, ai-bleach, TideDrop, Lillix Vail, Uchiha Sasha, Courtmaster Rin, Naruto-Lover227, ChibiChibiLove, Seven Black Roses, Slothy Girl, Ai no Kaze, MoonStarBeam, syazen, rockleefan, joster13, XxFr0sT3dSn0wF1ak35xX, TheKingJingles, THANK YOU!**

**Please keep reviewing and sending in your thoughts! ;3**

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	10. Through Teal Green Eyes

**

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**

B A Y O – B A Y O :

Hey guys! Sorry for the long(er) wait, but this chapter was special—I had to get everything perfect. I still don't think it's perfect, but I think your guys' growing impatience (and the 25 reviews, which I absolutely LOVED, by the way) caused me to post this earlier. You wanna know what makes this chapter so important? It's not only a time of bonding for our two favorite people, but also…

That's right, it's written in HITSUGAYA'S POINT OF VIEW. Oh my, this world is going to crash and burn. DD: It was really hard, but I think this was the most enjoyable of all chapters I've ever written. Writing in Toushirou's view helps me to think more about him and not only how he talks, but how he thinks. In a way, not only Megumi and Toushirou have bonded, but so did me and him, with him helping to write as a better Hitsugaya. I hope you guys enjoy it; I'm aware that I probably made some parts of him a little OOC, but please look past that and see the scene that's going on!

Thank you, once again, for all of your patience and many loved reviews. I appreciate them so, so much. They help me love this story and keep writing and writing—faster than I'd imagined!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T E N :  
**_"Through Teal Green Eyes"_

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU. )**

"Matsumoto, will you keep it down?!"

The obnoxious, inharmonic racket continued from the shower. I felt my eye twitch in annoyance. Even at my loudest, she still couldn't hear me. Typical vice-captain. With an aggravated sigh, I attempted to tune her out with as much patience as I could (which wasn't much, especially if you had to live with Matsumoto Rangiku for extended periods of time) while I occupied myself in the morning newspaper. Because of that dumb bother of a human, I had to keep tabs on Takara Gina; if I kept this up, maybe an article will arrive announcing the discovery of her body. Maybe then Nagasuki will quit her constant nagging.

At even the thought of her, my brows furrowed in irritation. She was honestly too optimistic for her own good.

"Or perhaps that's just how she is," I murmured aloud as I skimmed for the particular article. I had studied the last two papers over just in case the ditzy girl had skipped over something in her panic, but I came up with nothing. I was ninety-nine percent sure that Nagasuki would bug me about the missing girl again, and that was part of the reason I had decided to conveniently disappear today. School wasn't important to me, anyway; I had gone to enough of it already because of past missions. Missing today wouldn't be a bother.

It was kind of quiet without her, though; and even more so with Matsumoto at college.

Not that I missed the infernal nuisances, of course. Today was probably one of the more peaceful days that I've had in a long time. That is, before my vice-captain came home. Now it was just as noisy especially as an unpleasant tune, the poorest excuse for a melody, seeped from the bathroom. Attaining concentration was futile in a setting such as this. I was just barely one thread away from totally losing it, but thankfully years of self-control had taught me to endure this annoying rattle that she was performing until she had finished her hour-and-a-half-long shower.

Honestly, why do women need to take such unnecessarily long showers?

With growing impatience I returned to my previous work, which currently concerned getting whatever information I could about this vanished girl. Why did I even bother? Knowing situations like these, she would be dead in a dark alley, in the belly of a Hollow, or, at best, suffering in the hands of the Bounto. Nagasuki was bent on her miraculous survival of whatever happened to her, but I believe that we both knew what the most likely outcome would be. Yet she still looked to the bright side of things, not even contemplating the dark—how could she? Life was no joy ride; not everything comes out the way you want them to. Her persistence, her genuine concern, her optimistic view of life—it reminded me much, too much, perhaps, of Hinamori.

My eyes narrowed considerably. Hinamori was just like that—cheerful, optimistic, selfless—and look at what happened to her when things took a turn for the worst.

Thunder flashed somewhere near the neighborhood, bringing me back to the article. I couldn't begin thinking of that girl now, not when I had a mission to accomplish. Nagasuki had nothing to do with it. My mind had already decided that I was not investigating this disappearance for her, but for me. This could very well lead to the whereabouts, or the plot, of the Bounto. Despite that girl's absent-mindedness, she had a small talent of connecting the ends of two seemingly different stories and making them one. Curiosity often did that for the earnest, and Nagasuki did possess a lot of it.

I perused the article for any information on Takara's whereabouts. I honestly expected to come out empty, like I did with the past two; but instead, the paragraph stretched longer. Sightings of a mysterious, pale girl matching the description of Takara Gina was witnessed by various passer-bys at night. Ignoring calls of her name, retreating from those who confronted her—I knew what that meant. She was dead and connected to this world, no doubt lost and looking for her mother.

Did Nagasuki read this already? … That was a stupid question. What did she _do_ when she read this? Ironic how I decided to be absent on a day when a scoop decided to drop in. Knowing her and her ardent personality, she would be going insane from not being able to tell any other Shinigami about her findings and views; and she would probably put those views and curiosities in action and actually wait for Takara tonight. I nearly scoffed the idea; Takara probably won't respond to anyone but her mother. And though Nagasuki wasn't the sharpest, I doubt she was stupid enough to wait out in a thunderstorm for her ghost.

Nonetheless, this was an alluring piece of news. I would have to find Takara myself tonight and send her to Soul Society.

I folded the newspaper and dropped it on the table. Finally I had a reason to leave the house. Leaving this noisy building will probably do me some good, even if I was about to enter into a thunderstorm. "Matsumoto, I'm leaving for a little while," I said, not really caring to raise my voice. She couldn't hear me anyway, even if she bothered to try. My hand reached into my pant pockets (these human clothes were too clingy—how did human boys stand wearing these every single day?) and I pulled out a Soul Candy dispenser. Dispensing the little green ball into my palm, I opened my mouth to pop it in—before I was interrupted.

It was quiet, but I could pick up soft knocking at the front door. There were three small, timid raps. "Who could be wandering around in this weather?" I sighed, stuffing both of my equipment into my pocket as I trudged to the door. Half-expecting a stupid salesman, I pulled open the door with an irritated look on my face. My eyes widened at my visitor.

It wasn't a salesman.

Nagasuki stood there, soaking wet and shivering to the bone, on my porch. Her head was bent down, staring at the ground; and, despite her intense shaking, she didn't make any move to warm herself. After the surprise washed away, my eyes narrowed considerably—apparently, she _was _stupid enough to wander around in a thunderstorm, no doubt looking for Takara's spirit. Judging by her countenance, she didn't find her, either. "Nagasuki, what in the _world_ are you doing outside in this wea—"

She attacked me.

It took me by surprise. One second she was standing there silently, looking completely miserable; and one split moment later, her body had jolted forward and crashed into me. The sudden contact stunned me, and I stood there, unblinking, for the next minute or so. My hands had reacted reflexively by grabbing onto her shoulders as she hid her face in my shoulder. I half-wondered if she had fainted. My eyes wandered to the crown of her soaking wet storm cloud-colored hair, and it was then I realized that she was shaking violently—but not from the cold.

"Hitsugaya-san," I heard her say my name, barely above a whisper, into my now drenched shirt. "She's gone, I couldn't help her… all my fault…"

My body tensed. Nagasuki didn't attack me—she was clinging to me. And she was crying.

It took a moment for me to find my voice. "Nagasuki, what…"

"I'm sorry I'm bothering you again," she choked on her tears and she gripped a fistful of my shirt, "but… I didn't know where else to…"

Matsumoto once told me about situations like these. _'If a girl ever happens to start crying on you,'_ she told me, _'be very gentle. Women are very sensitive in times like those. Choose your words carefully, and don't be demanding; let her cry on you, and she'll tell you her story.'_ She told me that when Hinamori had done the same thing to me when Aizen had rejected a date with her. Nagasuki's quiet weeping met my ears. Matsumoto could say that, but I had no idea what I was supposed to do now. How was I supposed to comfort her when I knew nothing about her? How was I supposed to know the rights things to say?

Thunder crashed outside again. The first thing I had to do was get her inside where it was warm. She was as cold as winter—it was almost as if I had gone bankai and I was cloaked in Hyourinmaru's ice. But how was I going to bring her in? Drag her? Carry her? Lead her?

"Can… can I come in?" I heard her ask.

Well, that was simple.

"Y-Yeah," I responded. When she slowly pulled away and waltzed past me, I stood there for a moment, staring at the dreary scenery outside. _This is going to be interesting,_ I thought wearily to myself as I shut the door. Nagasuki stood a few feet away from me when I turned. I bit back a small, surprised gasp when I saw her face for the first time. Her skin had always been so pale, but when I stared at her tear-stained face, mixed in with the rain, I would've mistaken her for a ghost if I didn't know better. Blue lips quivered as she concentrated on forcing back tears, and her wide blue eyes—stricken with misery, trauma, and terror—stared at me, at a loss for words. Those were probably what had affected me the most. In her trembling hands she clutched an envelope that she held close to her, as if it were her very life.

'_Choose your words carefully.'_

What words did Matsumoto consider 'careful'? I followed my gut instinct.

"You met Takara, didn't you?"

We stood there for what seemed like hours, staring at each other as we searched for the right words to say. I saw something glint in her eyes and suddenly tears sprouted again. _I guess those weren't careful enough,_ I thought. Or it could be that Nagasuki was just over-sensitive.

For the first time in centuries, I, Hitsugaya Toushirou, the captain of Division 10 of Gotei 13, was failing in something. I've never felt so stupid in my entire life.

Her soft hiccups brought me back to her. "I… I saw her on—on my way home," she said, wiping furiously away her tears with her fists. "Y-You were right, Hitsugaya-san… she—she's dead. When she told me, I… I wanted to bring her to you, but—but she said… she said she was being tracked."

My eyes hardened slightly. Tracked? Did she really have a relation to the Bounto?

"They kidnapped her because they thought she was me," she continued. "They were… they were coming back for her, and she didn't want them to catch me t-too, so she… she gave me this letter to give to her mom, and then…"

I knew where this led. "She acted as bait so you could run," I finished for her. Her small head bobbed as a nod, and once again she stared up at me. She may be annoying, talkative, and naïve naturally, but, like I did when I saw the tears of any others', my eyes softened considerably. I always hated seeing tears.

"I… I'm a coward," she whimpered, casting her gaze down.

I pondered what to do next. Things had gone out of order in Matsumoto's steps—Nagasuki told me her story first-hand. What was I supposed to do now? Matsumoto was still in the shower, although her singing had died down. Thank God. Once again, I followed my gut by taking one small, cautious step towards her. She didn't react. The closer I got to her, the more I noticed the thousands of goose bumps lining her small body; I had to get her changed into something warm before she caught hypothermia. My arm reached out, and I gently grabbed her hand. I almost flinched—she was getting colder.

"What are you…?" I heard her curious tone as I lead her down the hallway. We got to my temporary bedroom and I sat her on my large bed while I wandered to my dresser. The last time we were in here, I was going to erase her memories; and now I was attempting to comfort her because I let her keep them. Maybe it was a better idea if I had ignored her pleas…

"Change into these," I instructed her, throwing one of my t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants to her. I exited the room for a brief moment and came back, adding a towel and a blanket to her accessories. Nagasuki stared at them for a moment, and then turned to me. I could see surprise evident in her face. I was surprised at myself, as well—I had absolutely no experience at these kinds of things. With a small flush, I turned away. "You'll freeze if you stay in those clothes."

To give her privacy, I quietly slipped out of the room and closed the door behind me. My body leaned against the wall next to it, and I lightly hit the back of my head against it. Her tear-stained face, the shaking of her tiny body, her extensive sensitivity—would she always be like this when she's involved in an event where a Hollow attacks, or when spirits she knows are forcefully pulled away from her? If so, she definitely won't be stable for the next couple of months. Why didn't I erase her memories while she was still in that state of mind? I'm sure she wouldn't even resist.

'_Promise you won't erase anything!'_

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Troublesome girl," I murmured beneath my breath.

The rustle of clothes ceased, bringing me back to the scene at hand. Lifting my fist, I rapped on the door to make sure she was done. When no one answered, I took that as a silent 'come in' and I re-entered. A pile of Nagasuki's soaking clothes were in a pile in the corner, while she stood in a statue-like stance in front of the window. She looked incredibly small in my bigger clothes, and she was hugging the blanket closely around herself.

"It's my fault, isn't it, Hitsugaya-san?" she asked quietly.

I remained silent as I stood by her. All this time, ever since she had decided to show up on my porch, I had been careful about what I said. Matsumoto assured me that girls didn't appreciate harsh words when they were emotionally unstable, but, seeing Nagasuki as she is now, I realized something: she didn't need comfort. She just needed someone to talk to—which, in a way, would probably classify as a comfort in itself. No cold words were needed, no sentimental exchange; Nagasuki wasn't that kind of person, anyway. She was probably expecting me to just talk.

And talk I did.

"What could you have done if you stayed, Nagasuki?" I shot a question back at her.

"I… I don't know. But I'm sure I could've done something," she responded, her gaze blankly fixed on the dreary weather outside. "I could've at least tried to fight it or someth—"

"Nagasuki, you wouldn't last a nanosecond against a Hollow," I interrupted her. She stiffened, and finally her eyes switched from the window to me. "You couldn't have done anything but run. If you stayed, Takara's sacrifice would have been in vain, and both of you would be lost right now. What good would that have done?"

"Hitsugaya-san…"

"You were smart to run while you could."

When I finally looked at her, I thought she was going to faint again. Her big eyes were staring at me, contemplating my words; and after they registered, a small, grateful smile curled onto her face. It was like the paleness in her face instantly lit up. She stood there, grinning at me like an idiot—when suddenly tears began trailing down her cheeks again. My eyes widened. Smiling and crying—what else was this girl capable of?

"Thank you, Hitsugaya-san…" she whimpered, wiping at her tears. "That cheered me up."

I arched a brow at her. "Then why are you crying?"

"These are tears of joy!"

A faint smirk curled onto my lips and I turned away. "Well, at least you're acting like yourself again…"

"You're such a good friend!" she exclaimed quietly, and, not lagging shortly afterwards, her thin arms latched around my torso in an awkward embrace.

Again, I froze. Contact like this was not normal for me. Usually people were wary around me and wouldn't dare to touch me—but Nagasuki, apparently, was immune to my natural intimidation. Words quickly came to me as seconds passed by. "Hey, what're you doing?!" I responded, trying to pry her off.

"Friends hug each other when they're happy," Nagasuki cheekily said, looking up at me with a small tinge of pink coloring her once pale cheeks. I blinked. Was she blushing? She hid her face in my shoulder before I could confirm it. "At least I do, anyway."

She was like a snake coiled around its prey—only definitely not as deadly. I doubt it would take much to make her let go of me. Sighing in defeat, I let her hang there; if I forcefully got out of her grip, she might go crying on me again. Honestly, girls were an enigma… It was a good thing Matsumoto's never like this. Nagasuki was so strange.

"You never cease to surprise me, Hitsugaya-san," she murmured. "One moment you're a cold, anti-social jerk, and the next, you're like one of the sweetest guys in the world! Are all Shinigami like this?"

"I draw the line at the 'jerk' and 'sweetest guy in the world' part," I sighed, finally deciding to release her hold on me. She seemed fine enough. I gently grabbed a hold of her arms and freed myself. "Are you okay now? You're not still bothered about Takara?"

Nagasuki didn't fight when I grabbed her, but she turned and went to plop onto my bed. Her arms were sprawled to her sides and she stared at the ceiling as she responded, "Yeah, I am, a little bit. I feel bad about leaving her still, but you're right—I couldn't have done anything if I didn't. But…" She paused. "But the reason she was kidnapped in the first place was because of me, and I can't pass the blame there."

"Nagasuki…" I started again, sighing.

"Don't worry, I've got it all figured out," she said. "I'll rescue her. And if I can't rescue her, I'll avenge her. It's the least I could do for all the trouble I've caused her…"

She was so persistent. With an unbelieving frown I stood in front of her, looking down at her. "And how do you expect to do that without getting yourself killed?" I inquired with an arched brow.

"Don't know yet." She sat up and returned my gaze. "But as long as I have you with me, it'll work out, right?"

We held each others' eyes for a few seconds before I broke it and looked the other way. "You're depending on me too much," I stated, crossing my arms. "That's what's dangerous about you keeping your memories of me, Nagasuki; if you keep relying on me, you're bound to be disappointed."

"I doubt it."

"Why is that?"

"Because we're friends, silly," she insisted, giving me that same signature grin of hers. "You're already doing a good job at being a friend in the early stages of our companionship, so how could you disappoint me in the later stages? You're a prodigy, right? So of course you're going to uphold your duties as a Shinigami, protector, and friend without fail."

"Now you're just flattering me."

"Is it working?"

"You're an idiot."

She grinned wider. "I'll take that as a yes."

Thunder flashed outside again, bringing both of our attentions back to the window as it flashed brilliantly. "It doesn't look like that's going to let up soon," I observed, hearing the pounding of raindrops on the roof. It sounded like a tornado out there with turbulent winds and the sound of heavy objects being knocked over.

"Yeah…" Nagasuki agreed quietly. "Hey, where's Rangiku?"

"In the shower," I sighed, irritated again at the thought of my lazy vice-captain. "She's been in there for about half an hour, so she's coming out in an hour or so."

"Holy cow," she murmured, staring at me incredulously. "She takes that long?! I only take half an hour, at the most…"

The storm was getting worse outside. The lights flashed on and off. I heard Nagasuki shift on the bed. "I guess I'll go home then," she said, standing up.

"You're honestly going to walk home in this weather?"

"I'll make it somehow," was her response, shrugging. "What else am I supposed to do?"

I stared at her as if she were stupid. I'll admit, I may not be the nicest-looking guy around, but I wasn't heartless enough to send a girl out into a raging thunderstorm when she didn't have to—especially someone like Nagasuki. She was a magnet for destruction. If she was to be wandering outside by herself, she'd either get lost, get attacked again, or get even sicker than she probably was going to be tomorrow. I didn't want to deal with two loud women tonight, but I guess I had no choice. "You can stay here tonight," I sighed, crossing my arms. "There's no way you could go out into a thunderstorm like that without fatally injuring yourself somehow. Haven't you had enough risks today?"

"But I don't want to impose on you and Rangiku," she retorted.

"You can just go home in the morning," I rolled my shoulders, walking across the room to shut the curtains. "I'll have Matsumoto call your family and tell them you're staying. You've already ran enough in that downpour as it is—I'm surprised you're still healthy."

"But…"

"Don't make me repeat myself, Nagasuki."

She glared at me, before finally giving in and falling back onto my bed. "Fine, fine, if you insist. I want your bed, though."

"What? Why?"

"It's comfy," she sighed, wrapping herself tightly under the covers. She pulled the top up to her chin and stared at me from under them. "And it smells like watermelons. Do you like watermelons, Hitsugaya-san? You always smell like them."

My brow arched. Watermelons? How did I smell like watermelons?

Suddenly, my thoughts flashed back to a few days ago.

'_Look, look, taichou—I got you some shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. They all smell like watermelons, your favorite!'_

My eye twitched. That was why.

Hiding a growing pulse in my temples, I sighed and spun on my heel to head out of the room. "Just don't wreck anything."

"You're the best, Hitsugaya-san."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Oh, um, Hitsugaya-san?"

I paused to look over my shoulder. "What?"

"We're friends now, right?"

"…" I didn't respond immediately. In fact, I didn't respond at all. Were we friends? What classified two people as friends? The fact that I'm letting her sleep over?

I heard her giggle and roll over onto her side. "I'll take that as a yes, too. Well then, it's settled."

I sighed. "Whatever. Is that all?"

"Yeah, thanks."

_Strange girl_, I thought to myself as I branched to walk back out.

"Good night, Toushirou."

I froze again.

"… Good night."

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**A/N:** I hope you guys liked it. I honestly do. I probably won't do this again until much, much later in the story, but this is just a little example of how I think Toushirou acts in his inner mind. Writing in his point of view was inspired to me by **Slothy Girl**. :3 Thanks so much!

And, of course, a special, special thanks to all my faithful reviewers who love this story enough to keep reviewing for each chapter! I thank you so, so much.

**Meejin, XxFr0sT3dSn0wF1ak35xX, Slothy Girl, Aoi no Kaze, demogirl193, Kuro-Myou-13, ai-bleach, Feather's Shadow, ROGMethos, Naruto-Lover227, Kana 090, Seven Black Roses, Lillix Vail, English-X-Rose, ChibiChibiLove, rockleefan, Courtmaster Rin, erina, MoonStarBeam, annabell10, TheKingJingles, Uchiha Sasha, joster13, moogle in paradaisu, Akiko Rivers, THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL! And a welcoming 'hello' to my newest reviewers Kuro-Myou-13, annabell10, Uchiha Sasha, moogle in paradaisu, and Akikiko Rivers!**

Oh, and if no one caught on, the special surprise in this chapter was no doubt the fact that it was written in Hitsugaya's POV. It was a feat, let me tell you, but incredibly fun. Thank you so much, and please keep reading and reviewing! With the Christmas break coming to an end and school coming back, I don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I promise I'll do as much as I can—and depending on how much you guys want it! ;3

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	11. Hallows Eve

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry for the long wait! I didn't think school would be this much of a bother to me! I made all of you wait for almost three weeks—I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I guess now I can't guarantee quick updates anymore. I'll try to update every three days or a week or so, but I'll try to get them in as quick as my fingers possibly can. I feel so bad—I'm sorry. Yet you guys still gave me 26 reviews! I'm so happy with that—thank you. It helped me to get off my busy butt sooner.

This chapter is in Megumi's POV again, and I hope you all liked Toushirou's chapter! It was hectic, but very fun. This chapter is where Hitsugaya and Megumi's relationship begins to bloom, so I hope you're all ready for some fluff in the near future! Nothing too exciting happens, and, to be honest, I'm not completely satisfied with this. I wrote three other drafts with different settings for this chapter, but none of them was to my liking. So I hope this one's decent for all of you, especially after all of your waiting.

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER E L E V E N :  
**_"Hallows Eve"_

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_It's hard to believe that a whole three weeks had passed since I met Gina's ghost. That amount of time had elapsed yet I still could picture vividly that unforgettable stormy night. Dreams of my former classmate's cries had plagued me since, and whenever I even close my eyes, I began fearing that a Hollow was waiting somewhere in the shadows to attack me while I was unaware. Paranoia wasn't a fun thing, especially if you were a hard-working middle school student like me who should be focused on her schoolwork rather than worrying about monsters pouncing on her at any time._

_So far, this has what my life had evolved into. No more was it a boring biography, but it was a science-fiction reality. And though I found the fact that I was part of Toushirou and Rangiku's amazing story quite the honor, I also began wondering if maybe I really was better off forgetting about all of this. Toushirou had warned me about butting myself into the businesses and lives of others and how it would change my life forever. And, of course, he was right. Not only did I have to worry about school and boys, but now I had new additions that made my past problems look pathetically insignificant: Bounto, Hollow, and surviving._

_And, though I've seen and experienced things that I told myself I'd be better off not experiencing, I have yet to regret ever keeping my memories. Meeting Shinigami made me realize that there really were "guardian angels" of sorts out there watching over us. And though my newest friends (Toushirou, to be more specific) don't seem "fighting to save the world" material, I've found them to be quite protective, reliable, and trustworthy._

_When both of them had been conveyed the events of that one night, they became like the mother and father I'd never had to me, scolding me for not going home immediately and running around in rainy weather. They spent almost two hours lecturing me as if I were a child, dictating my new set of rules that I had to follow and what procedures to use should I ever face another situation like that again. At that time I was really annoyed at how they were treating me, but after about the first week, I learned to appreciate them and their worrying; they were only trying to keep me safe. Otherwise, I'd end up just like Gina._

_I still needed to rescue her (somehow). I hope she's doing okay._

_But anyway, like I was saying, I have yet to feel remorse for ever meeting Toushirou. The only thing I regret about ever getting to know him was that basically all of the female student bodies at school want my head. Ever since the Fall Festival, rumors had begun to spread like malaria through the school and he and I often found ourselves being stalked by random people. I found it horrifying—he found it amusing at first, and then he found it very annoying._

_Meeting him led me to a truck load of information and a whole new perspective in which I now viewed things—and that initiated me to getting you, Diary, to keep this information recorded so that I'd never forget; and also to keep my sanity in check. If I kept this all bubbled inside, then I'd surely go insane. So you are my outlet. Keeping you under lock and key, no one besides me would ever know the secret life I led, so Toushirou's secret was kept safe as well._

_Today was a long entry, and I think I'm ready for bed. Tomorrow is the eve to the most horrible day of the year—Halloween. You haven't known me for long, Diary, but there's something you must know: I _despise_ Halloween. I'll talk to you some other time._

_Love,  
Megumi_

* * *

"Hey, I've got an idea about what we can do, Megu-chan!"

This is probably the tenth idea that Yukita had thought of, but I was far from thinking any of them to be decent. Taking another small bite of my cup noodle ramen, I answered with a mouth full before she could tell me what her 'genius' idea was. "Forget it, Yukita. I don't. Want. To. Do. Anything." I poked my chopsticks in her direction and narrowed my eyes. "If you plan anything without my consent, I won't be at all happy. You hear me?"

The pout she threw at me hid her protesting whines. "But Megu-chaaaaan, it's your special day tomorrow! You have to do _something_!" she insisted, waving her finger at me. "Even if fourteen isn't a significant age, it's still celebration-worthy; besides, we're your best friends! We're not going to let you sit out on your birthday like some lame-o, right, Ri-chan?"

"She's right, Megumi-chan," the quiet girl added. "It's not right for us not to do anything for you on your birthday. Are you sure there isn't anything you want to do? There's a new movie that came out yesterday (but it's a horror, so I don't think you'd like it), there's the amusement park we could go to, a live theatre performance—there's tons of things we could do together tomorrow, especially since it's Halloween!"

I shuddered. "Don't remind me," I murmured, taking another sobering bite of my lunch.

Tomorrow, October 31st, Halloween, is my birthday. Quite a coincidence, huh? I hated Halloween. It was my most unfavorable celebration of the year, and my birthday happened to land on it. Sure, it was pretty fun for me to brag about how my birthday was on Halloween when I was a little kid, but it became annoying when friends would play pranks on me rather than give me presents. I get surprised a little too easily, so I often end up losing my mind on my own birthday. Talk about sad! Even if it was my 'special day', I wouldn't mind skipping Halloween every year. It sure would save me some of my sanity.

"… Oooh, Ri-chan, that's _perfect_!" Yukita's squeal of utter enjoyment broke both of our concentrations, and we turned to her. Sprawled on her face was the widest, most satisfied look like I'd ever seen in my life. The corners of my lips dragged down. That usually wasn't a good sign. Ignoring my face, however, the future news reporter looked both of us in the eye and announced, "Tomorrow, we're going to the House of Horrors! It only opens once every three years, and the paper said that this one's going to be _really _good. There'll be monsters, zombies, witches, warlocks, the whole nine yards, and they'll look as real as you and me! Tell me it's the best plan you'd ever heard!"

I thought she was kidding around with me. After a few seconds passed and the proud smirk didn't fall from her face, I figured she was for real. My eyes narrowed at her. "That's a dumb plan, Yukita! You know I hate things like that!"

"Last time we took her to the kids' House of Horrors, she fainted," Riana added, concern spread on her face. That time they had to carry me out on a stretcher.

The House of Horrors was like a legend in Karakura. They had one for kids (or, rather, one for those who are wusses) that was opened annually, but bigger, scarier, more courage-requiring things like the regular House of Horrors opens every three years—mainly because they spent three years making the House much more terrifying and bone-chilling than the last. It always took place in the same building, which coincidentally happened to be the oldest and one of the largest mansions in town. I'd never been to it, nor did I ever want to. I could only imagine what kind of monsters awaited me if I decided to go—especially on Halloween night.

Riana and I looked at each other, and knew that our resistance was futile. Whatever Yukita plans, Yukita carries through. Not even the apocalypse could stop her. With a small, nervous smile I turned back to my determined friend and said, "I appreciate you trying to think of things for me, Yukita, but I doubt there's anything I'd enjoy… especially in the House of Horrors. Besides, I bet all of the tickets are sold out already. I think I'll just have a regular birthday, nothing special. Maybe you and Riana could spend the night—"

"Nonsense!" Yukita declared, cutting me off. She was now loud enough for the entire school and its sisters to hear. Riana and I looked at each other helplessly as our enthusiastic friend continued her rampage. "It's the perfect thing to do for Megu-chan! Riana and I will pay for your ticket together (I have connections with my dad—he works with Ri-chan's dad, who co-owns it!) and all you have to do, Megu-chan, is show up ready to be spooked!"

"Yukita…"

"Don't 'Yukita' me! There's no way you're backing out on us this time, especially since it costs a lot to get into the mansion in the first place!" She was now rooted on her feet, a decisive index finger pointed directly at me. "You're going to the House of Horrors tomorrow night!"

My head fell in defeat. "Fine…"

The dark-haired girl laughed victoriously and threw an arm around me and Riana. "Great! I'll meet you guys in front of the house tomorrow at nine! Be there, or be square! I'll invite everyone I know—and maybe even Toushirou for our dear little Ri-chan!"

"Aaah, no, you don't have to…" Riana blushed, squirming under Yukita's grip.

My head hung pathetically. I couldn't believe I was agreeing to this.

"Oi, Megumi! You're going to that place?"

The instant the familiar voice reached my ears, my defeated head hot up in shock to meet a pair of beautiful blue eyes. My breath caught in my throat. "H-Hi, Hikaru!" I greeted him, just a pitch lower than an exclamation.

"Yup, this girl's going to have an awesome time, guaranteed!" Yukita answered for me. "You want to come too, Hikaru-kun? It'll be lots of fun!"

"You like things like that too, don't you?" Riana added with a gentle smile. I watched Hikaru's gaze switch to her, and he smiled back with equal gentleness. It almost made my heart melt.

"We're meeting there tomorrow night at nine. Bring your friends! The more the merrier, I always say!" the reporter girl added enthusiastically.

Hikaru nodded. "Sounds like a plan—I'll meet you there, then." His smile turned to my beat red face. "See you later, Megumi." He walked off before I could murmur a farewell.

"Well, the date's set, you two! You just relax, Megu-chan, while Ri-chan and I make the final preparations. Since tomorrow's Saturday, I'll call you if there's anything more that you need to know!"

"Okay…"

This was going to be a very interesting birthday. I could wait.

The rest of the school hours passed by quicker than the breeze, it seemed. That's how these days passed by now, ever since I met my two Shinigami friends. Not that I minded; if I kept this up, I'd be graduating from high school in no time. Speaking of Toushirou, I didn't notice him today. He's so quiet that he tends to drift in and out of my notice. I didn't even know if he came or ditched.

When the final bell rang, I was slow in making my way out of the school. Everyone was bustling about the plan for tomorrow (Yukita managed to leak it out to everyone in less than three hours—that's how amazing she is), and I got many pats on the backs as some told me that they'd meet me there, and others told me I was absolutely mad for going to that place. I couldn't blame them—I thought the same way. Maybe there was still hope—maybe I could manage to ditch at the last minute. I mean, they'd have fun without me, right? They'd understand if I suddenly got sick…

'_Riana and I will pay for your ticket together and all you have to do, Megu-chan, is show up ready to be spooked!'_

"… I can't back out. Those tickets cost a fortune." Ditching was not an option. I couldn't make Yukita and Riana pay for my ticket along with their own and not show up!

I was probably one of the last ones to leave the school. When I passed the front gate, a familiar, nonchalant face greeted me from the side. I paused and turned, surprised, to face my newly-made friend, Toushirou. He was leaning against the wall looking like his bad-boy rebellious self, with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. He looked like a posing model just waiting for his picture to be taken. "Toushirou? What're you doing here?" When his closed green eyes opened silently to meet mine, I gave him an innocent grin. "Were you waiting for lil' ol' me?" He was dressed in his school uniform, so I guessed that he went to school today.

"Tomorrow's Halloween, and you're going to a horror place?" were his first words of the day to me, his eyes narrowed in unbelief. "I thought you hated things like that."

I sighed. "Can I talk while walking home? I don't feel like standing still." I didn't want to tell him the whole lunch break story without exerting some energy.

"Tomorrow, basically the whole school's going to the House of Horrors," I explained, cringing at the very thought of me entering such a place. Toushirou walked silently beside me. "Of course I didn't want to go, but Yukita and Riana basically made it impossible for me to ditch. They're paying for my ticket and going through all this trouble for me—of course I can't back out on them."

"So you're going, but you'll be absolutely miserable."

"Yup, that's about right."

"What is exactly is this House of Horrors?"

"It's this big, old, ancient mansion somewhere in the forest bordering the town. Riana's dad co-owns it and it opens every three years, each opening even more terrifying than the last. It's said to be one of the scariest places on the planet with zombies, monsters, and vampires looking as real as life itself. I went to the kids' one a couple years ago, and I didn't last ten minutes in that place. It makes me wonder if today will be the last day before I die of a heart attack or something…"

When Toushirou didn't answer for a while, I raised my head to look at him. His eyes looked straight ahead, lost in thought. "What's wrong?" I asked.

He didn't answer again. "Toushirou?"

He closed his eyes. "It's nothing. Where is it?"

I blinked. "Um… it's in the forest past the town park. We're all meeting there at nine tomorrow night. Are you going?"

"Probably not."

"Then why…?"

"I waited for you to ask you something," he said coolly, cutting off that conversation. "Do you have a cell phone?"

Something was telling me he's hiding something. I chose not to pursue it any further right now. "No. Why?"

"Just wondering."

We paused and he turned. I didn't even notice how fast we were walking; we were already at his house. "See you later," he said, throwing a wave over his shoulder as he stepped into his house.

I quietly watched him leave and my lips pursed into a curious line. "That was… weird." He didn't look like the type to be interested in things like the House of Horror or any other crowd-drawing thing like that, yet he seemed mildly interested—especially after I explained to him what it actually was. What was he thinking? He was so hard to figure out.

With a small sigh and a small shake of my head I continued on my way back home.

* * *

You all remember my adorable sister, Metsuki, right? I haven't talked, and actually talked, to her in ages, it seems, ever since my life took a twisted turn. Of course she didn't bother me with questions about why we didn't have time to talk anymore; she was too nice and quiet for that. I figured that she thought that I was having a good time with my new friends and she shouldn't interrupt. Isn't that sweet of her? It only made me feel a little bit more horrible than usual when I actually started talking to her when I got home; the surprised smile on her face told me that she missed me.

We took a trip to my bedroom, my hand squeezed in hers.

"I already got you a present for your birthday, nee-chan—I think you'll love it!" she squealed happily, bouncing beside me on my head. Her empty lavender eyes searched for my face, her own features twinkling. What I loved about her most was that she was so loving, even when I neglected her. I didn't deserve such a kind sister. "I still need to wrap it, though."

"Hey, um, Metsuki?" I started.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry for not having time to talk to you these past weeks," I said, patting her little blonde head. "I've just been so caught up in things that I failed to make time for you, even when you're so important to me. I'm sorry."

I didn't blinked once until Metsuki's frail arms were wrapped around me. "I missed you, nee-chan, but I didn't want to take you from your new friends. It's been so long since you've met people who became more than just your acquaintances, and I didn't want to take you from them!"

Smiling, I returned her hug. "Silly—just because I made new friends doesn't mean you're not my friend anymore."

"Thank you, nee-chan."

"Hmm? For what?"

"Coming back," she grinned.

My grin widened.

"So, I hear you're going to the House of Horrors tomorrow?" Metsuki asked, pulling back with a brighter smile than before. "Didn't you have a heart attack from going to the kids' one a few years back?"

I scoffed. "I just _fainted_. And yes, I am—with Yukita, Riana, and practically the rest of the school. I wanted to back out, but Yukita and Riana are paying for my ticket and are going through all this trouble, so I can't."

"Did you write your will yet?" she asked teasingly, sticking her tongue out at me. "I hear that the monsters there are real. My teacher at school told us this story about the House of Horrors sixty years ago. A brave young man went in alone at midnight on Halloween, and was never seen again. The five other friends who wanted to rescue him disappeared, too, and at nights, when the doors of the mansion are open, you can hear the cries and wails of the people who were trapped inside, never to see daylight again…"

I shivered subconsciously. "Metsuki!"

"Heehee. Are Toushirou-kun and Rangiku-chan going?"

"Hmm… I don't know about Rangiku, but Toushirou might."

"Toushirou-kun, hmm? I didn't know you called him by his first name now. He doesn't mind?" Metsuki prodded, an accusing grin on her lips. "Does he call you Megumi?"

"I don't think he minds… and no, he still calls me by my last name."

"Why the change of heart towards him?" the little girl's grin didn't leave her face. "I thought you didn't like him?"

"I don't," I retorted, crossing my arms. "… Not that way, anyway. We're just friends now. He's not as bad as I thought he was. Rangiku's really nice, too."

"See, what'd I tell you? They're good people," Metsuki smiled. "Have you fallen for Toushirou-kun yet?"

I nearly choked on my own saliva. "What?! No, of course not!"

She giggled. "I have to make sure with you, nee-chan. He's a really nice guy though, and has a sweet voice, too. Is he more handsome than Hikaru-san?"

"Definitely not!" I murmured. "Hikaru said he'd go tomorrow night, though."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I… don't know."

"C'mon, nee-chan—you've liked him for a year now and you haven't given him the smallest of hints! You're so under the radar."

"How would you know?"

"Believe me, I've listened to enough soap operas to pick up that a girl should tell her man how she feels before he gets stolen away."

This is coming from a seven-year-old.

"I'll… tell him eventually."

"That better be soon."

We talked the rest of the evening away until it was time to go to bed. After a final hug, she left the room and I began getting ready for my beauty sleep. I took a quick shower and changed into my pajamas, smiling to myself. I was so glad me and Metsuki were on normal terms now. I hope I don't ever make her feel lonely ever again. I walked over to my window and opened it to get a quick whiff of fresh air, but instead, something jumped in at me. I didn't have time to scream before a cold hand clamped over my mouth and another hand held my shoulder so that I didn't fall back. I blinked a few times at the person whom the hands belonged to.

"Toushirou?" was my very muffled response as I stared into the teal eyes of Hitsugaya. When he pulled back his hands, I whispered (to keep myself from shouting), "What in the world are you doing here this late?! I thought you were going to rob us or something! At least call before you decide to visit!"

The white-haired boy let himself in and leaned against the sill. "I came to warn you about tomorrow," he said, completely ignoring my angry cry of surprise. Who did he think he was, barging into my room unannounced? Just because he's a super strong Shinigami captain he thinks had every right in the world to invade my personal space. What a terd.

"… Be careful when you go to that place," he said, staring at me straight in the eye. "I don't know anything about it, but it might be dangerous. Hollows or Bounto might be there tomorrow, especially at night. Keep your friends close, and don't stray. At all."

All of my previous frustration melted away into concern.

I stared at him quietly. "So you're saying we might be ambushed sometime tomorrow night?" Flashbacks of Metsuki's story about the man who disappeared inside the mansion came back to mind, and I immediately became worried.

"It's a possibility."

"Won't you come with us, then?"

"I'll keep watch around the area, but I won't go inside," Hitsugaya responded. "If anything happens while you're inside, I'll know and come."

For some reason, I didn't like the thought of me being inside the mansion and him being outside. His words were scaring me now. "Are you scared?" he asked, forcing me out of my thoughts.

The look I gave him made my answer obvious. "Please come with us! I'm scared now—what if we really do get attacked?"

"You'll be fine," he insisted softly. "I'll be there. You won't see me, but I'll be there."

I pouted at him. "But what if—?"

"You'll be fine," he firmly said. "I'm a Shinigami. Protecting people is my job. Matsumoto will be patrolling with me too, so you've got nothing to worry about but having fun with your friends."

"Yeah, it's easy to have fun when your life is in danger…"

"Nagasuki."

"I know, I know. So you'll be my bodyguard, then?"

"I won't let anything happen."

I held out my pinky to him with a cheesy smile. "Promise?"

He narrowed his eyes irritatingly at me, and before he could protest, I reached down and seized his pinky with my own. "It's a promise, then! So far you can't erase my memories, nor let any danger come upon me!"

"You're so immature," Toushirou sighed, leaping back onto the window. "Good night." He disappeared.

I stared out at the empty window for a few seconds longer before smiling to myself randomly. I securely fastened the windows and jumped into my bed after shutting off the light.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's the end of chapter eleven! I hope you all enjoyed. What will happen at the House of Horrors? Will Megumi have a good time, or will trouble be stirring for her and her friends? Review quick to find out!

Thanks again for all of your guys' reviews—I loved every one of them, and they helped me write.

**TideDrop, FrostedSnowFlakes, rockleefan, Kana090, Courtmaster Rin, Slothy Girl, MoonStarBeam, Akiko Rivers, demogirl193, erina, moogle in paradaisu, English-X-Rose, Feather's Shadow, joster13, ai-bleach, Naruto-Lover227, Uchiha Sasha, ChibiChibiLove, sakura4594, UchihaFanGirl, TsukiKishuko, aminea88, Ishiko Kitsune, whiningqueen, TheKingJingles, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME! **

I hope you all stay with me till the end! I love you all!

-- bayo-bayo, signing out!


	12. The Mission

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey everyone, and welcome to chapter twelve! I'm updating quick (for now) to make up for the past three weeks. And I've wanted to get to this arc in my chapter for a while now, so I'm motivated to keep on typing. Thank you so much for your supporting reviews in the last chapter, they made me feel so much better! So much better, in fact, that I've updating a day (or two, I forget) sooner than I thought. I hope you enjoy this chapter as it leads into a small series of adventures for our dear Megumi.

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E L V E :  
**_"The Mission"_

* * *

"_Megumi-san!" she cried, her trembling hand desperately stretching towards me. She was being pulled back into the darkness, a higher power yanking her from my reach. There was a wild, terrorized look in her eyes and tears streamed down her pale cheeks in large amounts. "Don't let them take me!"_

_I felt helpless. We were being separated at a drastic rate, and the ground beneath us had completely split and was repelling each other. No matter how much I reached out, no matter how much effort I gave, I knew I couldn't reach her. I wouldn't save her in time. "Gina!" I shouted._

"_Help me!"_

_Behind her, there was a group of about six darkly-clothed persons standing. Each of them wore hoods to shade their faces, each one unrecognizable; and before them, their taller, bulkier leader, stood proudly before their struggling prisoner with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't say anything and remained motionless, the darkness under his hood staring out at me. My eyes narrowed._

"_Give her back!" My knees bent beneath me and I got ready to spring to the other side, but a hand grabbed me from behind, restraining me. Gina was being pulled back, her cries as loud and tragic as ever. "Let me go!" I cried, trying to pry my wrist from him. The strong grip didn't release._

"_Please! Please help me!"_

_Finally the group vanished, Gina along with them; and after a few moments of struggle, the grip released and I spun around, fuming with anger. With warm tears stinging my face I shouted, "Why did you stop me, Toushirou?!"_

_He stared solemnly at me, unmoving._

"_You couldn't have done anything. You're weak."_

I stood in front of the small house, the envelope clenched in my hands. My dream from the night before flashed through my mind over and over again and with each rewind I wanted to smack myself. Despite what Toushirou told me, I felt I was one hundred percent responsible for whatever predicament Gina was now in. I failed to help her when she needed help, and I couldn't even help myself afterwards. I didn't want to admit my weakness, but Toushirou had hit it right on the nail. I couldn't have done anything to save her because I was too weak; but also because I was powerless to do anything. I think even the strongest man in the world would have trouble against a Bounto, so what made me think I could've helped her? I should have tried, but I didn't. Her screams still plagued me at night, and the image of her fleeting form didn't erase from my memory.

The only thing I could do for her now was this.

My fist lifted to knock on the door, each rap growing louder with increase in number. I hope I got the right address; if Gina's mom had moved already, then I had no way to deliver this to her. It was a long wait (because I refused to give it to her without Gina being with me), but three weeks had been long enough. Takara Juria had suffered enough with each passing day without her daughter; I had no right to hold this last piece of communication to her from her.

The door opened very slowly, and through a small crack a weary eye looked at me from inside. "Hi, I'm here to see Takara-san?" I said softly, hoping I didn't lose her.

"You're…" was the very soft, very quaint response. The door swung open to fully reveal the person I barely recognized as Gina's mother. I almost cried at the sight of her. She had lost all the color from her skin and it looked like she had grown a lot thinner since the last time I saw her. There were heavy black bags under her bloodshot eyes, and she looked up at me with a look of pure sorrow and loneliness. Gina had been her only company before she disappeared; now she was by herself. It was a pitiful sight. "Gina's friend. How can I help you?" Her tone was monotone and robotic, as if she lost even her heart.

I caught myself before the first tear leaked from my eye. "This is for you, Takara-san. It's from your daughter," I whispered, holding out the envelope to her.

The look on her face didn't change. It was still empty, with lack of any sort of expression. Her gaze flickered to the envelope briefly. "Gina's dead. She couldn't have written that," she said bitterly.

I swallowed to hold back even more tears. She had given up the possibility of her daughter being alive. "I-I'm sorry… she gave this to me before she disappeared, and she wanted me to give it to you, so please accept it." I couldn't tell her that her ghost gave it to me; then she'd really think I was a freak.

"She's dead. She couldn't have written that," she repeated.

"But…"

"Please. I've had enough things like this happen to me. This is no different than the rest of the other 'letters from Gina'," the mother said, her bony fists clenched to her side. "I was just about ready to let it go, but now you've come. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Takara-san…! Please, just read it!"

"No. Go home. Don't come here again."

She slammed the door in my face.

I stood there, wondering what I should do. This note was definitely from Gina. She gave it to me herself. My teeth gritted as I meekly knocked on the door again. The sound wasn't hollow this time. Juria was leaning against the door. "I'm not going to force you to read it, Takara-san," I murmured as I rested my palm on the door. "But I don't have any right to read anything not addressed to me, so I'm going to leave it on your doormat. Please read it." Doing as I said, I placed it on the mat and skittered off her porch.

When I turned the corner, I waited there, out of sight. A few minutes passed slowly, and finally I heard the door open, a small rustle, and then the door closing again. I ran off.

* * *

Today is Halloween, my birthday, and I included with it a depressing trip to Gina's house. Things were working out well for me today.

As I made my way through town this evening, I kicked at rocks on the sidewalks. Today didn't feel like anything different from yesterday. I didn't even feel a year older. With a sigh I glanced down at my wrist, where my first present was: a friendship bracelet, custom-made from Metsuki. She woke me up early this morning and was the first to tell me happy birthday. Since she was blind, she had to have the tailor craft it in a specific way for her. It was a thin, beautiful bracelet made from white and black leather woven together (she knew my favorite color combination was white and black, even if she didn't know what it looked like) with a small loop and a golden star-shaped button at each end to serve as a clasp. Square chunks of metal beads were sewn into the leather, each one reading 'friends'. Metsuki told me that hers looked exactly the same, only her message was 'forever'.

Friends forever.

I knew that, no matter what happens between us, that was what we were going to be.

My second present was from Takuya-oji, who gave me lots of money and a new alarm clock, since my old one became so inaccurate that it started ringing whenever it wanted. I loved my family; they were so good to me.

It seemed that the hour for my waited trip to the House of Horrors wanted to come quick. This morning and afternoon had gone by quick. Earlier, Metsuki and I took a trip to Urahara's shop and hung out there for a while (when I told Kisuke where I was going tonight, he just looked at me and laughed). That took up most of the morning and afternoon, so after that I went home to take a shower and get ready for my night out. I was tempted to visit Toushirou and Rangiku personally and beg them to come with me to the dreadful House, but I didn't want to bother them.

Toushirou promised nothing bad would happen to me, so nothing bad will happen to me.

I looked at the town's clock tower. It was a quarter till nine. I felt my existing happiness—which wasn't much—drain. Fifteen more minutes until I faced the House of Horrors. I should start heading over there now.

The sun had long fallen behind the mountains, and the streetlights of Karakura glowed under the night sky. The moon was full tonight and there were no clouds; which meant that everything was brighter than usual. With growing anxiety I traversed through town, a look of uncertainty on my face. I honestly felt like turning back and ditching now, despite what my best friends were doing for me. Walking at night like this made me feel like something was going to jump out at me at any given moment, like what happened last time. When I reached the outskirts of the park and faced the dark, eerie-looking woods, I gulped loudly.

I didn't want to be here. I had a horrible sense of direction. I was going to get lost. I was alone out here, there was nothing else around, and nothing but my fists to protect me from attacks. My knees became weak under me. I wanted to go home.

The cricket chirps made me feel less alone, but I was still freaked out. I took a couple steps into the woods, and screamed as the loud snapping of a twig broke under my sole.

Without a second thought I took off running back the way I came.

I was going to die just by getting to the stinking House.

"Where are you going?"

"GAH!"

I tripped, falling flat on my face. Thankfully I was running on grass. When I pulled back up with a mouthful of grass and soil, I immediately jumped back to my feet and fell into an awkward fighting stance. "Who's there, and what do you want?! Don't try anything funny—I know kung fu!"

I looked to my left, where a figure stepped out from the dark of the woods. He was scrawny, a little short, and was dressed in traditional black and white Japanese garb. My panicked frown transformed into a large grin as I realized who it was.

"Toushirou!" I exclaimed, latching myself around his torso. "My hero! I thought you were a Bounto!" It felt good to be able to cling to someone at this time. I glanced up at him, and he looked down at me with an irritated frown.

"Get off of me."

With a now exuberant grin on my face I pulled myself back from him and took a good look at him. "Hey, you're in your Shinigami outfit," I pointed out, playing with his humongous sleeves. From behind him I swished his big white haori and traced the 'ten' on his back with my finger. "Nice, Toushirou! Very pro, I must say!" I observed approvingly.

"Weren't you just taking off down the park a few seconds ago?" Hitsugaya asked in frustration, prying himself away from my touchy fingers. "Aren't you going?"

A small, embarrassed look came to me and I turned away. "I… I just remembered I forgot something at home and needed to get there quick. But then I realized I didn't need it, ha," I lied. "Where's Rangiku?"

Toushirou looked at me with an arched brow. "She's at the other side of the park."

The clock tower rang loudly. It was now nine o'clock.

I gasped. "Shoot, I'm late!"

"You better get going."

"Yeah," I gulped, staring back into the dark forest again. I turned to Toushirou, who was looking at me with the usual half-lidded eyes, and I blinked in surprise. I felt my face heat up drastically.

He was gorgeous—too gorgeous.

When I looked at him, bathed in the gentle moonlight, he was just overwhelming. His neat mane of snow white hair was softly glowing, and the natural light brought out the fierce color of his teal eyes. And just the way his Shinigami self—when he wasn't pretending to be a human—looked so real and ethereal as he stood just a couple feet from me made me feel pathetically inferior.

He was like an angel.

"What are you staring at?" he asked.

Bringing me back to earth, I realized I was staring like a dope at him and with an even greater blush I turned away with a scoff. "Nothing. It's just… that look suits you." Thank heavens it was dark. "Hey, um, can you do me a favor?"

The look on Hitsugaya's face read that he thought I was acting very strange. Indeed, I was. "What is it?" he inquired a little awkwardly, his palm pressed against the back of his neck.

"Can you walk me to the mansion? I'm… a little intimidated going by myself. You don't have to go in, I just want company."

Hitsugaya stared at me for a moment.

"Please?"

With a small sigh he lifted off the tree he had been leaning on. "I guess," he murmured, dusting himself off.

"Thanks, Toushirou! You're the best!"

He extended a hand to me. "Grab on."

I gazed at him blankly. "Huh?"

"You're already late. I'll get you there faster," he said, thrusting his hand towards me again.

Was he going to start sprinting or something? "Okay…" I responded a little uneasily, grasping his hand with my own. His fingers wrapped securely around it and he yanked me towards him, taking me by surprise. "Hey, what're you—?!"

In less than half a second I was pulled against him, and his arm had let go of mine to wrap like a rope around me. I leaned awkwardly on him for a few seconds, wondering what he was doing while blushing as red as a cherry. I realized that, even in his Shinigami form, he smelled like watermelons. "Hang on," he murmured.

I opened my mouth to question him, but before I could, a torrent of wind forced my mouth close. The scenery that had just surrounded us disappeared, replacing itself with a new one. My feet were lifted off the ground, and when I felt Toushirou's foot lightly tap against the ground, another torrent chilled my face and there was new scenery. It felt like I was falling through the sky, only horizontally. In shock I grabbed fistfuls of Toushirou's kimono in my hands, and pressed my face into the concave of his collarbone. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins and I had no idea what was going on.

And then, suddenly, we stopped.

Toushirou's arm didn't leave me and I clung to him in fear, my eyes squeezed shut. In the distance I could hear crowds of people chatting, and a dim light shone through my eyelids.

"We're here," I heard the Shinigami say.

"Here… where?" I asked, slowly prying my eyes open. We were in the forest. I could see a fading light ahead of us, and a line forming in a path to our immediate right. I stared in shock and turned around. The park was nowhere to be seen. With more energy than I thought, I jolted from Toushirou, a look of pure shock on my face. "Weren't we just at the park three seconds ago?"

"I used flash step," he said. Seeing my confused expression, he explained, "Shinigami use it to travel great distances in very little time."

"Aaah," I murmured, smiling in admiration. "You're amazing, Toushirou! What other cool things can you do?"

"Go meet your friends," he said, gently pushing me in the general direction of the House of Horrors. "I'll be out here."

"Okay, okay," I laughed lightly, taking in a deep gulp of air. "See you later then!" When I turned to smile at him, he had already disappeared.

Trying to find my friends among the hundreds of people here was going to be hard, I thought. But when I heard people screaming my name no sooner than I had taken my first step into the wide, clear pathway, I realized that Yukita really did manage to get the whole school to come.

I could recognize Yukita's screams over anything, and I heard it coming from somewhere near the front of the line. When I got there, sure enough, I saw the reporter standing with a group of people I recognized from school standing in the front. I jogged up to them. "Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late!" I shouted over the murmuring crowd.

Yukita gave me an impatient scowl when she saw me. "You almost gave me a heart-attack, Megu-chan, and we didn't even get inside yet! I thought you were going to have to head inside alone!"

"Sorry," I grinned apprehensively. "There are so many people here! Where's Riana?"

She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, indicating to the building. "She and Hikaru-kun are inside with their father. They meet people if they get to end of the mansion."

"Huh? There's an end to it?" I asked, blinking. I always thought it was just a place that you get in and get out without a real ending. "And what do you mean, 'if'?"

"Here," Yukita sighed in exasperation, handing me a brochure. "All the info's in there. Read it quick, 'cause our turn's next."

I received the thin booklet quietly and gazed up at the House of Horrors. I've never been here before, and this is the first time I've seen it in person—and this close. I didn't even know how I didn't notice it—it was humongous, as wide and long as eight skyscrapers beside each other. It hurt to even try to look at how high it was. But there was no mistaking it—this was definitely a horror house. It was an old, ancient mansion from way back when and the scars of its past were still evident in it. It was made of brick on the outside with little cracks and crevices forming where vines grew from between them, and there were barely any windows; at least, windows that you could actually see through. As far as I could see there were no lights inside, save for the occasional flash of a flashlight.

I gulped.

"'Where the undead roam the ancient structure eroded from time, where vampires lay in wait for the unwary blood, where those who enters its doors are cursed to never come out—welcome to the House of Horrors,'" the brochure began. "'Ten floors, unstable flooring, two thousand doors, and many more teamed with inconsistent designs, the House of Horrors is a labyrinth unrivaled for centuries. Those who stand confident in their luck are invited to come in; but be cautioned: what lies behind these doors may cause you permanent trauma, and leaves those with weak courage with none. Stepping into this ancient mansion on this Halloween night disturbs those that are restless—those that seek for peace, but all in vain. Seeking more vessels to join them, they roam the floorboards at this hour.

'With only one opening and one true exit among two thousand doors, there are very few who manage to discover the way to light. Your mission is this, brave one: for thousands of years, this House has been plagued with a curse. You, as an adventurer, must discover the essence of this curse and find its cure. Once you acquire the cure, the exit will be revealed to you and uncounted treasures lie in wait. But beware; with the tortured undead there are many illusions, misleading, and possible danger. Stand strong, hold your chin high, and take your first step into the House of Horrors.'"

Oh my soul.

I had no idea there was an actual story behind this whole thing. And I was about to head inside a haunted house and find a cure for this curse thing? How the heck was I supposed to manage that?!

"Um, Yukita…?" I murmured, tugging on the girl's arm. She had been dazed, staring off into the house, and turned to me with a half-interested look on her face. "What if we can't find the exit? Is there an emergency exit or something?"

"Don't tell me you're giving up already," Yukita sighed, palming her face. "There's a couple emergency exits on each floor, of course, but we're aiming for the real exit. That's the whole point of this thing! Did you know that there hasn't been anyone that has made it to the other side yet? Wouldn't it be awesome if we were the first to discover it?"

"But what about the zombies, the vampires, and the monsters?"

"You honestly fell for that?" Yukita shook her head. "Don't worry, Megu-chan, everything here is made by human hands. There aren't any real zombies or stuff like that, so don't worry about it."

"I'm not so sure about this, Yukita…" I insisted urgently. I had already been freaked out, and now I was about to pass out.

"Shh, it's our turn now!"

I swallowed hard as we reached the woman standing beside the great, fifteen-foot double doors that led to the mysteries of the interior of the house. She was young-looking and appeared bored. I couldn't blame her—she must have been doing this for hours. When she saw us, she bowed slowly. "Welcome to the House of Horrors. You may not take anything inside besides yourselves and the flashlight we have provided for you," she said monotonously, giving us each a flashlight. "What you are about to enter is the first level of ten. As you progress, you will find yourself given tests in order for you to go on. If you feel you cannot continue your exploration, please ask one of the supervisors inside to escort you to one of the available emergency exits."

I stared at her for a moment as I got a better look at her. She wasn't talking directly to us; it was as if she were looking at something else the whole time.

"Hey, Yukita, let's stay together, okay?" I turned to my friend. She had disappeared. Yelping, I ran into the mansion after her distantly fleeting figure. "Yukita?!"

"Sorry, Megu-chan, you're on your own! I'm finding that treasure and keeping it all for me, haha!" I heard her yell from far away.

Frantically I chased after her voice. I didn't even realize the entrance slowly disappear from sight the further I ran inside. I turned one turn, turned another, ran in a straight line, and repeated the process a few more times—and finally I lost my breath and rested against a wall. Cold sweat lined my brow and my lungs strained for oxygen. "Darn that Yukita," I murmured under my breath. "I'm going to slaughter her! She knows I hate being in dark, scary, cold, damp, haunted… places… alone?"

With wide eyes I glanced around. It was very dark, with no streak of light anywhere to be seen. Flicking on my only equipment, my flashlight, I shined it to reveal to me my surroundings. Judging by the looks of things, I was in a wide corridor with a lot of doors lining the walls. On the rotting floorboards and walls (which were both made from wood) I could see the work of termites in the crevices, and cobwebbed torches on the walls. The hall seemed to stretch into eternity both ways. I had just come from a side door—which meant I could now go either left or right.

I hated guessing games. Especially when I had no one to consult with.

"Where do I go now?" I sighed in annoyance. I really regret coming here now—so much for a 'happy birthday.' I'd be just as happy (no, probably much happier) sitting in my bed right now than in this stupid place.

That's when I heard it. Footsteps. They were very faint—so faint you could barely hear—but they were there. I turned right and quickened my pace slightly.

Was someone by themselves down here too?

I branched another corner anxiously, my flashlight clutched tight in my hand; and sure enough, I flashed upon a lean silhouette who was wandering down the hall. I sighed in relief and ran towards them.

"Excuse me! Are you lost, too?" I exclaimed.

The person paused and glanced over their shoulder. When I got closer to them, I realized that it was a girl—she had long black hair.

When I saw their face, my smile faded and the flashlight dropped from my hand, clunking loudly to the unstable floor. I blinked once, and then twice. She did the same.

"Gina?" I whispered.

Her eyes widened and she fled.

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**A/N: **And that's the end! I hope you all liked it, and I'm sorry I'm such a slow plot-revealer! That's just how I am. I'd change it, but then my writing would begin to suck really badly.

Thanks for all the reviews everybody, and please keep sending them in! It feels great to have an average of twenty reviews each chapter:3 I love you all!

**DarkShadowMuffin, Hana Ryuuzaki, MoonStarBeam, moogle in paradaisu, UchihaFanGirl, ChibiChibiLove, Akiko Rivers, Slothy Girl, BowlofRice, joster13, TsukiKishuko, TideDrop, English-X-Rose, demogirl193, FrostedSnowFlakes, xxk a n d ii, erina destiny, Naruto-Lover227, Kei, Maitsuki, Meejin, Uchiha Sash, whiningqueen, THANK YOU!**

Please keep sending in your reviews everyone! And until then… see ya!

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	13. The Curse

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Woo, a VERY long chapter for you guys this time! Almost 5000 words! That's a lot, and it would've been longer if I had decided to throw in another scene at the end instead of cutting it off! A little more fluff for Toushirou and Megumi in this chapter—hope you all like. Thank you for the 21 reviews! It's beginning to dwindle in numbers, so please keep reviewing, you guys! I've reached my thirteenth chapter already, and I have 49 alerts and 50 faves—so may I ask a minimum of 24 reviews (half of how many alerts I have) each chapter? Surely you talkative half of the alerts and faves can spare a few words?

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T E E N :  
**_"The Curse"_

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I thought I had just seen a ghost. Ha, I've always wanted to use that line; but it couldn't hold anymore truth than what was exactly said. Standing there, eyes wider than tennis balls, was the only thing I could do for the next ten seconds as I watched the familiar spirit skitter away more silently than a mouse.

Her pale, colorless face mixed with horror, confusion, and loss, instantly threw me back in time to the last encounter I had with her. She had found me that night; and tonight, I found her. Though, I definitely wasn't expecting her to show up in the House of Horrors. What in the world was she doing here? My only source of light rolled on the creaking floor, and I hastily picked it up and followed her.

I didn't come tonight to find Gina, but now that I did, I wasn't going to let another opportunity to help her slip by me. I couldn't let that happen again—never again. My teeth gritted as I felt the atmosphere grow thicker and colder the deeper I ventured into the mansion. I didn't think it could get any darker, but I felt like I was trapped in a pitch box and running in place. I have probably been running for ten minutes already and nothing in my surroundings changed. It was still the wide, empty corridor with hundreds of different doors to explore.

Then I paused. What if Gina hid in one of these doors?

Gazing behind me, I shined my light on the innumerable hiding possibilities. "I'm definitely not going to find her like this," I murmured, my chest heaving. Why did she run away from me, anyway? "Gina!" I called out. My voice echoed in response to me. Waiting for a few silent seconds, I sighed and began walking again. Now I was even more lost. And I didn't have Gina with me. "I have to find her," I stated to myself more than anything, and my footing gained speed.

It was going to be a long night.

I really wish I had someone with me right now. I wouldn't mind Yukita, Riana, or even some stranger I didn't know. Though it would have to be someone who wouldn't mind me clinging to them if anything happened to jump out at me (I had momentarily forgotten that I was lost, alone, in the scariest place in the world), like Riana and Hikaru… or maybe even Hitsugaya. In fact, I think I preferred him over the rest. He was tough, strong, and didn't look like he'd be fazed by earthly things like these haunted houses… plus, I would have someone to talk to, and he could protect me. And for some reason, his scent made my senses miraculously calm. The fact that he looked like the incarnate of something heavenly gave me some sort of security, too…

Wait. What was I thinking?

I paused and felt my face. "I'm warm. How ironic," I mused, cupping my cheeks.

My ear picked up noise. It was faint, very faint, but standing quietly still allowed me to catch it. It came from behind me—the sound of shuffling feet. I spun around fast enough to see a door slam to my left. Instinctively my body froze, and the grip on my flashlight tightened. Something had been following me. "Don't be stupid, don't be an idiot, don't succumb to your curiosity, Megumi…" I murmured, despite that my legs were slowly inching towards the door. My fingers twitched as they slowly wrapped around the doorknob. It was icy cold, and seemed to sizzle under the heat of my skin.

I started trembling. What was behind this door could either kill me or save me or do nothing whatsoever to me. I looked left, then right. I guess there was nothing to lose by checking out this room. Swallowing hard, I turned the knob and slowly creaked open the door, poking my head inside. It was dark, too—only this room had a small path lined by candles starting in the center of the room. It was very eerie, and the stillness of everything made me shiver subconsciously.

My mind whirled with pondering. Should I go in, or keep going? It seemed like I wasn't making any progress by going straight… but at the same time, something was in here. And that something was undoubtedly following me. I pushed the door open wider and peered around. Despite the lines of candles, I couldn't see anything.

I think I'll just keep walking out here.

Slowly I began to close the door—until I was abruptly shoved from behind. Taken by surprise, I lost my balance and flew into the room. With a shocked groan I rolled onto my rear, where I saw someone standing in the doorframe. My eyes widened. It was a tall, lean figure dressed in a heavy black cloak that hid the contents of his face. "H-Hey! What was that for?!" I cried, leaping to my feet. Before I could get a hold of him, he slammed the door in my face. Immediately a small 'click' sounded afterwards. My eyes bulged.

Oh, crap.

"Hey, what're you doing?! Let me out! Unlock this door! Hey!" I wailed, banging on the thick oak with all my might. This wasn't good. This was _not_ good. Who was that? Why did they have a key? Did they work here? "This isn't funny! Let me out right now!"

Nothing answered.

"Darn it… what am I supposed to do now?! Aarrgghh, I should've never come here!" I shouted, frustrated. I wanted to go home now. Looking for Gina was important, but I didn't want to look for her as a ghost.

The shuffle sounded again.

Oh, crap. Again.

I spun around and held out my hand. My jaw dropped when I realized my single light source had disappeared from my hand. "… Where's my flashlight?!" I gasped, falling to the ground. I must've dropped it when I fell. Besides the freaky candlelight (which wasn't much at all), I was absolutely blind. "Dang it, dang it, dang it!" I panicked. My hands searched the nearby area, but I came up with nothing. "Where is it?!"

I looked up and abruptly shot my eyes to my side. A pair of beady yellow eyes glared back at me, its body hidden in the thick darkness. My blood froze. "That's…. that's a…" My breath caught in my throat and immediately the hair on my body stood. I couldn't mistake those eyes for anything else. "Hollow…" That was what was following me.

It hissed at me, and the way its eyes bent lower to the ground gave me the idea that it was crouching, about to spring. I had to get out of here. Fast.

A few seconds passed between us, and my head stormed with a maelstrom of questions. What was a Hollow doing here? Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me and it was actually a zombie-cat with golden eyes? My body had risen to my feet, and I slowly inched back. The eyes narrowed. Well, whatever it was, it didn't look friendly, nor did it look like it was going to let me get out of here peacefully.

I didn't know how long I was standing there, staring at the thing; but when I took one more step back, it hissed louder and the eyes disappeared. A cry left my lips as I took it as my cue to sprint as fast I could away from that area. The door was locked, so I ran the opposite way—down the path of candles. I didn't look back as I ran down the very dimly lighted path without my flashlight, my legs pumping faster than they ever had before. I didn't know where the Hollow had disappeared to, but as I careened down the path, totally oblivious to my destination, the room began to grow lighter. Instead of two lines of candles, now they were reinforced by two larger candles beside them, illuminating the room—and finally I found a dead end.

The lighting here had gone from barely any to brilliant. Before me was a very tall wall—probably about twenty feet high—and had a humongous painting hanging on it. The candles had gathered around the picture and made every detail revealed. I knew I couldn't stay here long in the light; but if I hid in the shadows, there was no way I'd be able to see anything coming at me. It was probably best if I stayed here; it didn't sound like the Hollow was following me anymore. My eyes traveled to take in a glimpse of the large painting, a perplexed look on my face. It was a portrait—or, more specifically, a family picture.

A man, a woman, and a baby drawn in acrylic paint composed the picture. The parents didn't look any older than twenty-five, and the man had short platinum hair and bronze-colored eyes. He wasn't smiling, nor was he frowning. His lips were simply drawn in a thin line. His arm was circled around the thin waist of a pretty woman who had dark curly hair; her navy eyes gave off the appearance that they were sparkling, and she was smiling. The baby was wrapped in a blanket in her arms and looked like it was still an infant. None of them looked familiar. Something was written in the corner, although it was too faded for me to make out. My gaze followed the length of it, and I realized that the bottom of the painting stretched into the floor.

"Wasn't this the first floor?" I asked myself, observing where the painting seemed to end. Sure enough, there was space between the edge of the floor and the painting, and it was giving off a cool draft. It continued below me. There must be a basement to this mansion.

"_Ssss_…"

I gasped and twisted my head around to stare into the threatening yellow eyes of what was officially a Hollow. It caught up to me. Now that it was standing in the light, I knew what it was—and I recognized it instantly. It was a Hollow—the Hollow that attacked Gina and me three weeks ago. It stood there, its body rigid and teeth baring, ready to rip out my innards. I stared helplessly at it, and quickly stood to my feet.

"_Your reiatsu has a very delicious scent."_

My eyes widened. "You can talk?" Its face wasn't moving, but I could hear it as if it were talking directly to me.

"_It's a shame I can't claim it… not yet, anyway." _With a sickening expression that knotted my stomach, it crouched. _"The masters will reward me greatly if I manage to catch you alive… so just stand still, human, and let me take you peacefully. If you resist, I can't guarantee I won't break you accidentally."_

"What do you mean by 'the masters'?" I asked, trying to sound bold despite the intense knocking of my knees under me. "Are you talking about the Bounto?"

A look of amusement crossed its feline features. _"Perhaps…"_

"Where's Gina? What'd you do with her?!"

"_That brat again… she always manages to escape, one way or another. Oh well, she's useless anyway. I don't know why the masters insist on keeping her. Anyway, what happens to her isn't according to my interest."_ If cats could smirk, then this one was. _"Why? You want to abandon her again like you did last time?"_

I flinched.

"_Heh. Don't worry, kid, you're my only target this time." _It licked its lips.

I backed into the painting, my heart thumping in my chest. Candles surrounded me, blocking my escape—it had cornered me. A thin line of sweat trailed down the side of my face, despite the very chilly atmosphere. My palms subconsciously searched the painting for something. This was a haunted mystery house—so where was the hidden door?

"_Don't waste your time, human," _it hissed. _"Now stay right there…"_

I was going to die here. This was the end for me.

"I can't die," I corrected myself. "I can't leave Metsuki, oji-chan, Yukita, Riana, Hikaru… I can't leave them now."

That's right. I couldn't give up now—if not for my sake, then for my friends' sakes. What state of mind would Yukita be in if she found out that I had died alone in this place, especially on my birthday? Not to mention the fact that she had arranged this. I knew I had little to no chance fighting against this Hollow, and I confirmed that I definitely wasn't going to try to take it on alone. In my peripheral vision there was nothing but candlesticks, and beyond them I could make out nothing in the intense dark.

It sprung.

I reacted on reflex. Diving to my right, I watched as if in slow motion as a black blur soared where I was just standing. My hand shot behind me and grabbed a candle holder as it was about to land, and I chucked it at its face. The sparkling flame burned the Hollow, and it screeched in both shock and pain as I made my getaway. As soon as I leaped over the remaining candlesticks, the scenery began to grow dark again. I dared not look back to find the monster had already regained its senses and chased after me in fury; but I knew I was getting a good distance away, since it was still roaring in the light.

"_I'm going to kill you!"_

I gulped. I had to find a door that wasn't locked and get out of here. My fear had fueled my adrenaline as I pushed on. The screeching had stopped a few seconds ago, meaning that I only had a few seconds to find an exit before I was caught and killed.

Well, that was a comforting thought.

I kept running. Now everything around me was darkness, and I had no flashlight to tell me where I was going. I could be heading backwards for all I knew.

"Megumi-san!"

I almost screamed, but I did manage to freeze. The voice reached me from my right, and I looked to see, of course, nothing. I feared it was a hallucination and I began to run again, until it called to me again. "Megumi-san, come over here!"

"Gina?" I murmured quietly. "Is that you?"

"No time, Megumi-san—come, hurry! The Hollow's just a few yards away, and it runs very fast!"

I couldn't see her, but she was my only chance. I blindly turned and began sprinting again, running into a wall. "Ow," I yelped, rubbing my nose. I felt the wall. "Gina? Where are you?"

"_You're mine, girl!"_

I gasped. It was distant, but it could see me, I knew. I ran out of time. Stepping back, I felt that this part of the floor had sunken slightly under my weight. Before I could look down to investigate, the ground opened under me and I was falling. I was too surprised to make a single noise, and I was falling for about three minutes.

I landed on something cushiony, much to my surprise.

Finally I found my voice and I moaned loudly, both from the pain and surprise from my abrupt descent. I glanced up, expecting the Hollow to come tumbling after me; but I discovered saw that the hole had disappeared. I had fallen through a trap door. When I stopped emitting cries of pain, I heard another muffled noise—it sounded like groaning, too. I felt the floor shift again beneath me, and I gasped, realizing what it most likely was and why my fall didn't kill me: I had landed on somebody. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Whoever you are, thanks for unexpectedly breaking my fall and saving my life…"

When I had hopped off the person like they were hot tamales, I heard them shuffle around. "Why is it that most of my daily pain comes from seeing you…?" he snarled.

I paused. Down here in whatever room I was in, the darkness had brightened up considerably, although it was still hard for me to make out anything. When my eyes finally adjusted, I felt like I had something warm and watery stuck in them. When I set my eyes on the person, I realized they were tears when they had begun to fall. I didn't even know I was holding them back. "Toushirou…"

His teal eyes—which were very bright, despite the darkness—finally looked me in the face. I didn't think I could be any happier to see him than I was now.

"Toushirou, Toushirou, Toushirou!" I exclaimed, ignoring the fact that he hated physical contact and pulled him into a one-sided tight embrace. The tears were freely falling now as I savored his warmth, his calming scent, and just him being here at all.

I could feel the surprise in his rigid body. I expected him to push me away, but instead, he let me squeeze the life out of him. Uttering a nonchalant sigh, he gently returned my embrace (although not as tightly, of course). "Finally I found you," I heard him whisper. "You're one of the loudest people I've ever met, yet when I actually need to find you it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Are you okay?"

I forced a laugh. "Yeah, I'm fine now," I murmured, pulling away from him. I wiped at my tears. "Why are you here? I thought you were outside?"

"I was," Toushirou stated, crossing his arms. His expression of relief turned into one of annoyance. "But it wasn't until even _fifteen_ minutes after you got into the mansion that your reiatsu skyrocketed, giving me the impression that you were in trouble. Matsumoto's covering my area right now. You're such a troublesome human."

I was too happy to retort back to him. "Thank you, Toushirou," I said sincerely, catching him off guard. "Really. I'm so glad I have someone with me now!"

He stared at me for a moment before scoffing and looking away. "Why are you thanking me? I haven't done anything."

"You came to make sure I didn't kill myself, and you broke my fall and therefore saved my life for the second time in the past two months!"

"That was unintentional."

"But you saved me nonetheless. I owe you one," I grinned for the first time ever since I entered the mansion. "But I definitely wasn't expecting you to be down here—I expected someone else."

"Who?"

"Gina. I heard her voice, so I wandered to the trap door; I fell through it and landed on you," I explained. "I'm so stupid! She manages to save me twice when I've done nothing for her…"

"Takara… she was the one who led me here," Hitsugaya said, retrieving my attention. His gaze turned to me. "Come with me." I trotted after him as he began walking. "She told me to wait for you here and take you down this hall."

I nodded and stayed close by him to both calm my senses and make sure we didn't get separated. It was a good thing he was wearing white, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see him. Judging by the feel of this new level, it was definitely a basement—and it smelled pretty funky. I could hear the reoccurring noise of droplets around, giving it a sort of sewer-like atmosphere; and, though we were now underground, it was unusually lighter. The only drastic thing that changed was that it became very cold.

"Why are you walking so close?" Hitsugaya broke our silence, and I looked up to see him returning my gaze with a raised brow. "This is a wide room."

My eyes widened and I turned away quickly. "Yeah, it's wide, it's dark, and it's full of things I can't see. What if there're potholes everywhere and I end up tripping into one without you knowing? There could be Hollows lurking around here, too; what if I get eaten?"

"I don't sense any of that around," Toushirou stated.

"Okay, maybe I'm just a tiny bit scared. Girls are sensitive to things like this, you know," I said with a tinge of feigned hurt. "What, am I making you uncomfortable?"

He shrugged. "Not really."

"Aren't you scared?"

"No."

"Hmph. Fine then, I won't be scared either." Sticking my tongue out at him, I hopped a foot away from him. Instantly I felt insecure. Okay, maybe there was no way I couldn't be scared in this sort of setting. When I looked at him, Hitsugaya looked ahead with a look of amusement on his handsome features. He didn't think I could handle this. "Just so you know, I feel perfectly un-scared—"

I felt something scamper before me, taking enough liberty to trample over my feet as well. It felt light, and a long, hairless tail swiped my ankle. I had the faintest idea that it was a rat. I bit back a scream. _That was just one thing, Megumi—it's not like that wouldn't have happened if I stayed close to Toushirou. Wait, why does my left foot feel heavier than the right…? _I gazed down in time to catch a pair of tiny red eyes gleaming up at me.

My yelp echoed throughout the room.

"I thought you said you weren't going to be scared." Hitsugaya's voice sounded closer than it was before. "And stop clinging so hard—you're beginning to cut off my circulation."

It was then that I noticed that my side felt warm, and I was, indeed, holding something in a vice-like grip. My eyes flickered upwards and I knew why. My body had decided to cling to the nearest source of security—which happened to be Toushirou. His arm dangled limply in both of mine, and though I wanted to let go, at the same time I refused. A brand new sense of safety came over me, and it was emitting from him. "… Are you uncomfortable now?"

He didn't answer immediately. "Somewhat."

"Too bad," I retorted. "Are you going to pry me off?"

"You'll just end up doing it again," he shrugged his free shoulder. "Just give my arm room to breathe."

"Sorry, no can do either."

"Why?"

"My arms like your arm."

"That made no sense at all."

"Tell that to them," I said, ignoring a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. "Hey, Toushirou… I think some of the Bounto are stationed here." I tried to change the conversation in case he did decide to throw me off.

"So do I," he responded quietly, our treading just as silent. I didn't know how he knew where we were going, but he seemed pretty precise. It felt good to be able to rely on him. "Before you fell, what were you doing?" was his next question, which caught me off guard.

Trying to find a way out of this mad house, getting shoved into my death room by some guy in black, meeting Gina's Hollow kidnapper and escaping its fury—wow, a lot happened between the time that Hitsugaya and I were apart. I winced visibly at the remembrance. "Running for my life," I stated casually.

Surprised, Hitsugaya looked down to me. "From what?"

"A Hollow," I replied. "The same one that took Gina away."

He looked away, not responding. The rest of our walk resumed in silence, with me quietly leeched to his arm. It felt kind of awkward, I'll admit, and I could only imagine the thoughts of hatred running through my companion's mind; but for some reason, this felt nice—nice, as in I felt very safe. No, it didn't feel nice because I enjoyed the thought of making contact with him like this… I mean, I could cling to Hikaru like this and still feel the same way, you know?

My lips pursed. Then why was it that I didn't feel like letting go of _him_ any time soon?

I could rule out the idea that I liked him. Of course, there was _no way_ I could ever like Toushirou like that. We just became friends, after all. And sure, he was intelligent, gentle, responsible, comforting when he needed to be, and he was drop-dead gorgeous, but that doesn't mean that I thought of him any more than as a friend…

Ugh, this is making my head hurt.

As if to save me from my on-coming headache, the room began to gradually grow lighter the farther we ventured into the hallway. My grip on Toushirou's arm tightened anxiously and I heard him quietly grumble to himself in response. Then a familiar setting was revealed to me; we were heading towards a path lined by candles. Only this time, it was different; the candles were larger, making a brighter light. I subconsciously scooted closer to Hitsugaya—not like we had anymore room in between us to scoot into.

"Now I'm uncomfortable," he said.

This time I respected his personal bubble and stepped a couple centimeters away. "Oh, sorry," I murmured, slightly distracted. "This is what the setup of the level above us looks like, too. There were candles creating a path, and at the end there was a humongous painting."

Sure enough, after we walked for about five more minutes, we reached a dead end—a tall wall with an even taller painting. My neck craned as I attempted to look to the top. It no doubt connected to the painting above us—actually, I think this one was bigger than the one on top.

"Takara."

My eyes averted back down. Leaning against the base of the painting was Gina's spirit, as pale in her complexion as ever. Her long black hair poured over her shoulders and over the steel chain that protruded from her chest, shorter than I remembered it. My grin widened and I finally released Toushirou's arm. "Gina! You're okay!" I exclaimed, hopping over to the quiet girl. The ghost greeted me with a small smile. "How did you survive that one attack?" I asked.

"It didn't kill me," she responded. "It just took me back to the Bounto. I'm so glad you're safe, Megumi-san. I was worried you wouldn't find the trap door in time."

"You saved me," I smiled. "Thank you."

"I brought her," Hitsugaya said, coming up from behind me. "Now tell us what you know."

Gina nodded. "It'll take a while. Let's sit down." She found her spot in front of Hitsugaya and me, and took in a deep sigh. "First of all, this 'House of Horrors' isn't your normal haunted house."

"I figured that," I responded.

"Yes. This place, in fact, isn't a haunted house at all, despite its appearance," Gina stated calmly. "This is the headquarters for the Bounto, and also where they keep all of those monsters."

"And nobody suspected anything?" Hitsugaya inquired, slightly surprised.

She shook her head. "There was nothing to suspect. Normal civilians are usually unharmed whenever they come here because the Bounto have their Hollow tamed; they lurk to terrify people, and feed on those of whomever their masters allow them to. The Bounto only let their Hollow seek specific people or people with a specific amount of reiatsu and kidnap them. But that hasn't happened in sixty years, so over time, people gradually forgot about the mysterious disappearance of a young man who ventured in alone, turning it into a legend."

That sounded vaguely familiar. Wait—that was the story Metsuki told me about. It was true? "What about what it said in the brochure, about a curse and the one-way exit stuff? Was that true, too?"

"Indirectly, yes. Most look at it as fun adventure, but the Bounto had intended to catch the interest of someone that they've been searching for sixty years today. They know who it is by their accomplishments in actually completing this 'mission', as they've called it."

"You can actually accomplish it?!" I exclaimed, surprised.

"The last one who had managed to finish this puzzle was the man who disappeared sixty years ago. Since then, nobody has managed to do it."

"Was he the only one who did it?" Toushirou jumped in.

"No, there was a few others who managed to complete it in times passed, but they've been long forgotten."

"Why do they need to find this person?" I inquired curiously.

Gina gazed directly at me. "The people who succeed in cracking the Bounto's mysteries are classified as their 'curses'."

"And they…"

"They kill those people."

Toushirou's gaze hardened. "In other words… their curse is the people who have managed to complete their little game, which they kill."

The blood drained from my face as the realization hit me. "Their curse is… death."

* * *

**A/N: **Ooooh, the plot is beginning to finally unfold! Hitsugaya and Megumi are trapped in the Bounto headquarters, and Megumi is beginning to feel unusually flighty around Hitsugaya! What could that mean? What will the pair do about the Bounto curse? Will they turn back, or attempt to crack their mystery and risk everything?

To find out quick, send in those reviews!

A very special shout-out to:

**aminea88, Skylite, Feather's Shadow, moogle in paradaisu, TsukiKishuko, Yorukirin, demogirl193, Naruto-Lover227, BowlofRice, English-X-Rose, MoonStarBeam, WeHoldTheseTruths, TideDrop, joster13, Kana090, Akiko Rivers, Mei Fire, erina destiny, Hana Ryuuzaki, creaturekid, Uchiha Sasha, THANK YOU!**

**And praise for Hitsugaya for officially being the most popular character in Bleach! Yay Hitsugaya!**

Thank you for all your support thus far, and I hope you continue to stick through everything with me! Please send in those reviews!

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	14. Forbidden

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

I'm back, and with another long chapter! I'm amazed at how quickly I'm updating—I guess I'm excited about this story too. X3 The funny thing is that when I used to be your average reviewer/reader, I thought that writing stories would be as boring as heck—but now that I've done it, I think it's one of the most exciting things in the world. Writing about an obsession you have and being able to write freely using your own ideas and characters, implementing them into a fiction that appeals to you and your readers—it's one of the most awesome experiences I've ever had. And the one thing I love about writing and this story, in particular, is your guys' love and support. I couldn't have done it without you guys—thank you!

Now you may be asking yourself 'why is she rambling on about this nonsense?' right? That's because, well…

**THIS CHAPTER IS VERY FLUFFY **(to me, anyway, don't know about ya'll)** OMG.**

Pretty surprising things happen here, despite that this is more a 'filler' chapter. I'm sorry if I happen to make anyone sound OOC here, but I did write half of this chapter after one o'clock in the morning. xD I hope you all like it, and I'm sorry if it turns any of your attentions off—but I needed to do this sooner than later, for it is going to be essential for the next set of chapters.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Then read on, reviewer—read on.

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O U R T E E N :  
**_"Forbidden"_

* * *

"Their curse is… death." Nodding solemnly, Gina's clasped hands gripped the skirt of her dirtied dress. Toushirou sat quietly beside me, pondering this surprising bit of information to himself. Even if it wasn't what people made it out to be, the 'House of Horrors' definitely lived up to its name. People, even if it was a long time ago, had died in this place. The mere knowledge of that gave me uncomfortable shivers. "That's horrible," I murmured after silence. "Why?"

"I… don't know. I only know what I've read," the spirit replied. "The Bounto turned their library into my dungeon, so I spend my time reading whatever's there."

"The prize for cracking this place's curse is the person's death." I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact. Death was such a rare thing that entered my mind; but I was going to be encountering a lot of that from now on, I knew, so I had to get used to it. "Do they do this for their own sick pleasure…?" Subconsciously, my fingers dug into my palms. "Someone has to stop them."

"Maybe that's the reason why the Bounto kill them," Hitsugaya said absent-mindedly. With a confused expression, I turned to him. "They discover their ploy, and before they can escape and spread the word, they silence them."

"But what's the point of that? Why go through the trouble of opening this place up every three years if all they do is kill those who manage to win their game?" I questioned, becoming a little frustrated.

Toushirou's teal eyes turned on me, hushing me with just a single look. "That's what we're going to find out."

Gina's bloodshot eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

"We're going to beat this sick game of theirs," Hitsugaya decided, standing up, "and discover what they're really after."

"But if you do that then they'll kill you!" Gina retorted. "I've read about you Shinigami in their library; you're strong, but you alone don't stand a chance against the six of them!"

"It's not like we have a choice anymore," Toushirou argued. "Everyone else has evacuated, and they've locked every other escape route."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "What do you mean everyone evacuated?! … And that we're _locked in here_?!"

Hitsugaya regarded my panic with seriousness. "Exactly what it sounds like, Nagasuki. The only way out of here now is through the actual exit—and the Bounto."

Gina nibbled on her thumb nail, lost in thought. "They shut everything down? They don't do that until midnight. They check every floor in the mansion—that is, except the basement."

"The clock tower struck midnight thirty minutes ago," Hitsugaya stated. "They won't reopen this place until three years later, so we're going to have to force ourselves out before they discover we're still here."

"Why don't they check the basements?!" I exclaimed, lost in a panic. How could they be so calm when we're trapped in a place infested with Hollows—and especially in the headquarters of the six surviving Bounto?! "This is a floor, too!"

"They don't check this place because," Gina glanced at me, "this is where the untamed Hollow reside. Some menos are gathered here too, and the Bounto use them to scout for any disturbances in the headquarters."

I glared at Toushirou. "You said you didn't sense any Hollows down here, Toushirou!"

"I don't," was his response.

"They come out after the closing of the mansion to eat anyone who stays in after the doors are locked," Gina informed him. "They tend to stay as far away from this area as they can because of the light, but if you say its half-past midnight, Hitsugaya-san, then…" She paused to calculate. "They should appear around here in a few minutes. From then on, they'll be infesting this floor."

My jaw dropped. "And you're _calm_ about that?!"

"I discovered a secret hallway behind this painting," Gina said, patting the wall behind her. "I've stayed there for a few days while trying to escape this place, and the Hollows rarely ever go there. I found a room where you can stay for tonight. Come."

I grabbed onto Toushirou's arm as he walked past me. "Wait, you expect me to sleep in this place?!"

He eyed me mutely before yanking his arm away. "You prefer to stay out here?" He stepped over to Gina. "Take us there, please."

She nodded, and tapped on a specific area of the painting—the very center. There was a small click that sounded. A few seconds later a regular door-sized section of the painting spun like a revolving door, albeit a lot more creakily. Toushirou stepped inside first, and Gina waited for me to follow him. I thought my palms were going to start bleeding if I clenched them any harder and my head felt like it was about to burst, but I nonetheless followed the Shinigami captain. The door closed behind us.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I breathed while glaring into Hitsugaya's back. Visiting this place was one thing, but staying the night here was a whole different thing altogether! It was crazy, absolute madness!

"Your room is the fourth door to your right," Gina's voice broke my thoughts, and I followed Hitsugaya into the said room.

I would have commented on it if I could see what it looked like. But it was pitcher than pitch in here, save for a couple candles in the middle of the room. I found Hitsugaya's arm in mine again as we wandered in. "This was the cleanest room I could find—the rest are worn out and unstable because of time," Gina said, standing in the doorframe. "I'll bring more candles for you in a few more minutes." She left and came back with three more.

"Thank you," Hitsugaya said as he received them.

"You're welcome," Gina smiled. "I must go now before they find out I'm gone. It's best for you not to wander beyond the hallway, because I haven't gotten to exploring it yet."

I sat by the candles, hugging my knees to my chest. I refused to look up.

"I'm sorry you're caught up in this, Megumi-san." I could hear the sympathy in her voice. "I can understand your situation, and I know it'll be hard—but try to look to the bright side of things." With that, she softly closed the door behind her.

I heard the shuffle of wood in the corner, and Hitsugaya's white haori flashed as a clump of oak fell where the candles were. It ignited into a larger fire, brightening up the entire room and emitting much more warmth. I saw that it wasn't a very large room—big enough, barely, to be a den, with no windows whatsoever. I could see that Toushirou got the wood from a slightly worn down corner. "I can't believe this," I said as Hitsugaya sat across from me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, ignoring my comment.

"Besides pessimistic, hopeless, and about to go insane? Just peachy," I responded sarcastically.

"We'll be safe in here. The door can lock."

"For some reason, I think Hollows can break down splintering wooden doors."

"It's better than no door."

"How can you be so carefree about this?!" I shouted, standing up and glaring at him over the fire. "We're locked in a house full of murders, there're flesh eating monsters four doors away from us, and we're sleeping in a room with nothing but a lousy campfire! There's nothing to be optimistic about!"

He was listening to me calmly with a stagnant look in his eyes.

"What's my family going to think when I don't come back tonight?! What happens when they discover I'm dead?! What'll they do, Toushirou?! What'll _I _do?!" I continued. My streaming tears sizzled as they dripped from my chin into the fire, and I wondered when I had begun to cry. My body trembled as I fought to keep pouring out my frustration on him. "It's useless, Toushirou! We won't survive down here! You heard Gina—there are six of them and only two of us! Actually, I don't even count as another whole person because I can't do a single thing to protect myself! Nothing! Nada! Zilch!"

Hitsugaya didn't respond.

"Well?! Say something!" I said, my shouting turning into pitiful cries. "Say something… anything...!"

"Nothing will happen to you," he stated nonchalantly.

I rolled my eyes while wiping furiously at my tears. "_That's _believable," I murmured. "What makes you so sure?"

"I won't let you get killed." His answer was simple, straight to the point. "I promised, remember?"

"But I didn't expect to be trapped in here to crack the code of some Bounto secret, only to be slaughtered at the end!"

"Nagasuki," Hitsugaya sighed. "I won't let you get killed. Do you trust me?"

I faltered. "Yeah, but—"

"Then trust me when I tell you that I won't let you die."

I finally sighed. "Promise?"

"Do you want my pinky again?"

He didn't say half as much as I did, but he always knew the right words to say when I needed them. I forced a weak laugh. "No, I'll take you for your word this time." I sat back down, pulling my knees to my chest again. My chin rested on my knees, and I stared blankly at the crackling flame that slowly began consuming the wood. Despite how warm it was to my skin, I still felt unbelievable cold. "… I'm sorry, Toushirou," I said after a moment of silence. "You didn't deserve to have my anger vented on you. I was just… I've never been in this situation before, of course. When I met you and you went through all the things I'd experience because of the memories that I was so stubborn to keep, I thought it would be no problem for me… but I didn't think that Shinigami business was this… significant, and that it really would affect me for the rest of my life. All this time, everything bad that's happened to me that related to anything beyond the world of living I've blamed on others, when it was really my fault to begin with. You, Matsumoto, and now Gina are protecting me and I've done nothing but whined and complained. I'm so selfish." My eyes hardened, and I gazed up to Toushirou, who had been listening to my prattle intently all along. "I now know what kind of situation I've placed myself into, and though it'll be very hard for me to get used to, I'll accept whatever this new life of mine has in store for me right now and in the future. Before it's been a silly game to me—a new piece to add to my life. But now it's the real deal—a struggle between life and death. I understand that now."

Toushirou and I held eye contact for a while, before an expression that I couldn't quite place came over him and he made a noise that sounded like a huff. He gazed down with a small smirk. "Like I said, Nagasuki, you're full of surprises. Come here."

I blinked. "Why?"

"Just come over here."

I meekly crawled over to him and plopped beside him. "What?" He didn't look at me when I glanced to him. I could see the flame reflect in his green eyes.

"I heard that maturity came with the passing of years," he started, before digging his hand into his kimono for something. I watched him curiously. "I didn't think that saying took effect until after you've died, but you've proven me wrong. You never cease to impress me, Nagasuki." When he withdrew his hand, there was a thin, neatly wrapped box in it. "It's a little late and I didn't remember it until now," he said, offering it to me, "but happy birthday, Nagasuki."

I stared at him blankly. My eyes flickered from his face to the present, not really accepting what was going on. Toushirou was giving me a birthday present. "Are you serious…?"

"You don't want it?"

"No, it's just… after I just yelled at you…" I murmured. I could feel my face growing warm; I couldn't tell whether it was from the fire or my new tears.

"That's been forgotten, Nagasuki. It's never good to dwell in the past," he shrugged, placing it in my hands. "You've matured within the first two hours of your new age. That's pretty impressive for a fourteen-year-old."

"Can I… open it?"

"If you want." When I began ripping off the paper, he continued, "It's nothing special, but Matsumoto thought it would be a good idea for you to get a—"

"What's this?!" I exclaimed, cutting him off. Inside the wrapping was a little box, which I pulled the lid from. Sitting there was brand-spanking new cell phone, which sparkled in the light of the fire. "You got me a cell phone?!"

Hitsugaya was surprised at my reaction. "Yeah. You don't have to worry about paying bills—Matsumoto and I have enough money to spare. Carry it with you at all times, just in case an emergency comes up. I already put our numbers in it, so—"

"This is awesome Toushirou! Thank you so much!" I squealed, ecstatic as I tackled him to the cold wooden floor. He tumbled with a surprised yell. "You and Rangiku are too nice to me! I can't thank you enough! I've wanted a cell phone for the longest time! And not only that, but paying for my bills, too?! Oh, I love you guys!"

Hitsugaya was busy trying to pry my arms off of him, which were securely wrapped around his neck. "You don't have to get _that_ excited—it's just a phone!"

"But it's from you two, and on my birthday!" I added, not letting go of him. He glared at me from beneath me and I stared at him with a large grin. "You two are the best! The greatest Shinigami pair I've ever met! I love knowing you two and being able to talk to you… like… this…"

My sentence trailed as I realized that he now had a look of discomfort on his face. It took me a second or two to realize why. My arms were closely wrapped around him and I was right on top of him—not to mention the fact that our faces were uncomfortably close. Immediately I flushed a bright pink that totally went against the paleness of my skin; but for some reason, my body didn't make any move to remove myself from him. The coldness that I was engulfed in just seconds ago was replaced with complete warmth, and I never felt any happier. His expression told me that he had no idea what I was doing, and I felt the same way—only one hundred times more. But as I gazed into those eyes and saw how beautifully they sparkled in the overcast flame, my heartbeat sped up by one hundred and I really seemed to have lost myself.

I didn't even notice my face slowly draw towards his, disregarding the very confused look on the other's face; and it wasn't until he breathed my name did I realize what I was about to do.

Oh. My. Soul.

With a small yelp, I shot off him like a rocket and found myself six feet away from him in one second. I could feel my face drastically rise in temperature, which was impossible even with the fire right beside us. Immediately an onslaught of inquiries entered my mind as I stared in horror at him. _What in the world was I thinking?! Why did I do that?! If he didn't say anything I would've… I would've… oh, crap, what's wrong with me?!_ I mentally scolded myself, my furious blush still coloring my cheeks in a burning crimson. I feared to look at Hitsugaya in case he let me have it, too. I heard him shift back into his sitting position. My grip on the cell phone between my palms tightened.

He coughed uncomfortably. "You should go to sleep now," he stated with a forced calm. I slowly looked up at him to see his eyes flicker to the ground right when we made contact. I did the same. "You can sleep there."

"R-Right," I murmured, facing the opposite wall as I awkwardly curled into a ball on the ground. "N-Night." Why was I stuttering? Why was I stuttering?!

"A-Are you going to go to sleep?" I wanted to rip out my tongue for stuttering again. What was wrong with me?!

"I'm keeping watch just in case something happens," he responded quietly.

"Oh." If I didn't feel as awkward as I did right now, I would've asked to stay up with him. I doubt he'd let me either way. Instead my silence resumed and I hugged my new phone to my chest, trying to ignore the massive headache that consumed my brain as I thought about what I had almost done. My heart was still beating wildly at the mere remembrance, and I squeezed my eyes shut to help block it out. It didn't work. I could still see myself from a different perspective, a wide, confused look on my face as it inched closer to an even more bewildered Hitsugaya's face; the slow closing of my eyes when I was just about close enough, and finally Toushirou's awkward whisper of my name, which brought me back to my senses.

What would I have done if he hadn't have stopped me? Would I have actually kissed him?

My hairs stood on end at the idea that seemed absolutely crazy. Me and Toushirou kissing—no, that didn't sound right _at all_. In fact, it sounded kind of sickening. Yet why? Why did I do that? Was I that happy about my present? I didn't feel like I was controlling myself at all then…

My headache worsened. I like Hikaru, not Toushirou.

I let that statement sink in for the next few seconds. My senses had begun to finally calm; before that one annoying voice that decides to converse with you whenever you don't want them to began talking to me. I tried my best to tune it out and cupped my face with my hands.

I thought I was running a fever because I was so warm.

I murmured a sigh. Okay, maybe I _might_ like him a _tiny_ bit. A small attraction—nothing more than admiration. But he definitely wasn't my type. My temples throbbed. It would never work between us, anyway. He was a Shinigami, and I'm a human. A living person can't like someone who's dead—that's too tragic. And kind of weird. Besides, the high-and-mighty, silent-and-strong Hitsugaya Toushirou would never like me, the unpopular and useless Nagasuki Megumi in that way. It would never happen. It was the most forbidden of forbiddens.

That guy is always making my life complicated. Most of it was my fault, but it was his fault for being who he was and catching my natural interest—and now that I'm admitting that I might probably, although definitely not to an extremity, have taken a small liking toward him, my life had just taking another sick twist.

First of all, my living as a normal middle school girl had mutated into a weak human girl trying to survive against Bounto and Hollow. And now, when I thought things couldn't have gotten any worse…

I liked Hitsugaya Toushirou, who, not only was the most popular and good-looking guy in school, but was a captain of a squad of the Shinigami. That made my past troubles look very small.

I shook my head.

_Aarrgghh, I can't _believe _I almost… _

Something white and warm fluttered over my shoulders, and my squeezed eyes shot open in surprise and I jolted away out of reflex. When I looked back, Toushirou was staring at me with an even more weirded-out look on his face. I noticed after a few seconds that he was void of his white haori—he had draped it over me.

"I thought you were sleeping," he said after a few seconds of silence. "You were shivering, so I assumed you were cold…"

"O-Oh," I murmured, as red as a cherry. Thank goodness it was dark. "Um, thanks."

He nodded and stood to walk back to where he was sitting. I watched him with wide eyes—he looked incomplete without his robe. Now he was just in a plain black kimono.

I sat there, watching him as he quietly eyed the fire; and before I knew it, I had gotten up and stood a couple feet from him. "Do you mind if… I sit here?"

His eyes flickered to meet mine, and he looked back down. "If you want."

I plopped down next to him, making sure to put comfortable space between us. I wrapped his haori tightly around me; it did help to fight against the biting cold. "Hey, um, Toushirou…" I barely said above a whisper. I could hardly hear my own voice. "About… about, uh… a couple minutes ago…"

I heard him shift uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't know what came over me. I, uh, I didn't mean to almost… you know…"

"You were excited," he said. I couldn't tell if he was telling me or himself that. "An exciting thing like receiving a gift right after having a near-death experience can make someone do things that their conscience has no control over. You weren't planning on doing anything before-hand, were you?"

I blinked in surprise. "No, of course not!"

"Then there's nothing for you to be sorry about."

With a small smile, I looked from his face to the fire, where his own eyes were fixed. "… It was pretty awkward, wasn't it?"

Toushirou scoffed. "I won't deny that."

"If you didn't stop me, that would've been my first one," I said sheepishly.

He looked at me. "You've never kissed anyone before?"

"Nope, I'm saving that for my one and only. What, you have?"

He smirked mysteriously at me and turned away. "That's none of your business."

My jaw dropped. "You did?! Who?!" I exclaimed, my interest suddenly aroused.

"Go to sleep, Nagasuki. I can tell you're tired," Toushirou sighed.

I faltered. "Do you… have a girlfriend?"

"Why are you asking me these personal questions?" he said, looking at me with a mischievous glint in his eye. "You're curiosity has a tendency of leading you to trouble, Nagasuki."

I pouted. "But we're friends! Friends tell each other these things!"

"Is our friendship your excuse for unlocking every detail of my life, now?"

"… You're so unfair."

"Hmm. You're fond of that Minamoto kid, right? Minamoto Hikaru?" he asked.

I almost answered 'it used to be', but bit my tongue. "… How did you know?"

"Matsumoto."

"Remind me to kill her the next time I see her."

"Hn."

"But, speaking of Minamoto," I murmured, my thoughts drifting. "Riana and Hikaru… their dad co-owns this place. Do you think…?" I had just remembered that now; Riana and Hikaru's dad worked here, and so did they. If this was the Bounto headquarters, then were they… could they be Bounto? … No, that's impossible! I've known Riana and Hikaru ever since grade school. They couldn't be anything beyond human. I'm sure the Bounto just knocked them out or whatever… yeah, that had to be it.

Toushirou didn't look at me. "We'll find out tomorrow."

I scoffed. "More like in the next week or so. If you're aiming to crack this sick mystery the Bounto have concocted, then you're in for the ride of your life."

"You're forgetting that I'm a genius," Hitsugaya stated with a hint of pride, throwing a smirk at me.

I smirked back at him, although I definitely couldn't be as effective as he was. "Yep, I definitely forgot about that."

"Shut up."

I began laughing, my heart finally feeling light. I was glad that Toushirou found an excuse for me to have done what I did—I'm happy that that he thought nothing more of it. Not vocally, anyway. When I erupted into a giggling frenzy, the white-haired boy backed away from me as if I had suddenly caught some contagious disease.

I spent whatever time I had before I fell asleep talking with him. His sparkling green eyes, his attractive smirks, his way of carrying himself—I was attracted to it all. My heartbeat quickened every time he cast even one glance at me, no matter how long it lasted.

I couldn't fight it anymore, I thought with a crippled smile.

I, unfortunately, had developed a small crush on Hitsugaya Toushirou. And I don't even know how, when, or why.

For some reason, I felt that this was only the beginning of my troubles.

* * *

**A/N:** Yup, Megumi finally realized her (even more) sticky predicament. Liking a Shinigami when she's just a simple human—how could that be? What does Hitsugaya think about all of this (you won't find out for a while, ha—more suspense!) and her? Will they be able to crack the mystery of the House of Horrors in one day, or will they be stuck there for even longer—or even worse—die? When I was writing this chapter, I was going to make this only, like, a quarter of it and jump back into the action—but I rambled on so much that I realized it was impossible and just turned this into a chapter solely dedicated to Megumi's twist in her life.

What do you guys think? Once again, I'm sorry if you think I'm moving fast with them—rather, with Megumi—but like I said, there's a reason for it.

Thank you so much for the 27 reviews! I really loved and appreciated them—you make me all so happy. :3 I'm amazed that I managed to get fourteen chapters of this story in within five weeks—and it's all thanks to you.

And also, a new addition: **THEME SONGS FOR MY STORY!** Yay!

**Opening: **"Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld  
**Ending: **"Konna Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay

I love these songs to death, and thought they were perfect for the story. X3 I hope you all like them!

Once again, thank you SO MUCH, all of my reviewers! I'm glad to hear that you're all enjoying this story thus far!

**KajiMori, BowlofRice, UchihaKinakae, MoonStarBeam, Hana Ryuuzaki, Seven Black Roses, erina destiny, TsukiKishuko, moogle in paradaisu, vCricket, Slothy Girl, Naruto-Lover227, Akiko Rivers, joster13, ih o w a l o n, Yorukirin, demogirl193, TideDrop, Feather's Shadow, Skylite, creaturekid, Courtmaster Rin, Chaotic Demon, DarkShadowMuffin, Uchiha Sasha, Mei Fire, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT!**

I can NEVER get enough of it! Please keep sending them in!

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	15. Observations

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey again, everyone! And welcome to chapter fifteen of Furareta! I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter—I seriously was afraid that you all wouldn't like it. X3 But you've proven me wrong and given me a whopping twenty-eight reviews! Thank you so much! I feel honored to have each and every one of you as reviewers for me. :3

I hope you all like this chapter! It's back to the story!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F I F T E E N :  
**_"Observations"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld_

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"Okay, that switch should be around—hey, watch it!"

"Oof! Sorry, I can't see a thing down here! Where're the lights?!"

"We're in a basement infested with light-despising Hollows. There _are _no lights, doofus."

"Hey, I was just asking—and what's with the name calling?!"

If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't even be able to distinguish between what's up and what's down. This basement was even worse of a labyrinth than the first floor; and what's even more of a bugger, everything was black. Our little campfire died during the night, and we had both woken up thinking we were dead because it was so dark. Luckily, Gina had been waiting there patiently for us to awaken from our weary sleep and confirmed that we were still very much alive (well, in my case anyway). She came to relay whatever little bit of news that was available, because right now, Hitsugaya and I were stumped about this whole ordeal.

And we were cranky, too. I slept on rotten, cold ground and messed up my shoulder; Toushirou didn't sleep at all (which was his fault—I told him over and over again to get at least an hour of sleep) because he didn't want to let his guard down, not even once. I estimated that he was the crabbier one out of the two of us.

Anyway, Gina did have a little information for us, much to our relief. There were, indeed, legions of Hollows lurking around the outside of the hallway; and I meant it when I said outside the hallway. Meaning, they were basically gathered there. Apparently, they were attracted to our reiatsu and waited around for us to come creeping out of our hiding place so they could have us for breakfast. Gina had managed to get through because she came via a secret passageway she had discovered that morning—a passageway that she was willing to show to us. Thank goodness.

And now Toushirou and I were here, trying to find a switch that rotated the door inside the painting and going the exact _opposite _way of our escape—we were heading right for the Hollow. Why, you ask? Because Toushirou was being a retard!

"Toushirou, why are we here? Aren't we supposed to be heading to the secret passageway? I thought you weren't going to get us killed!" I murmured quietly, not sure where he was anymore. He could already be heading back and I wouldn't have known. Blindly I flailed my arms in search of him, and after wandering left and right, I finally smacked something. It was bare, soft, and responded with a sharp cry—and abruptly my hand was grabbed, stopping me from doing anything. My eyes widened. Whatever seized me was soft and cold—and, assuming the worst, I screamed and began pulling away from it.

A Hollow.

"Toushirou! Toushirou, Toushirou! Help!" I yelped in a panic. "A Hollow's got me and it's gonna eat—"

"Shut up, you idiot!" I heard a familiar, very peeved voice hiss at me, and I was yanked towards them. I was about to protest loudly before all of it drowned into unusual pleasance—and warmth. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. I tried to hold back a sigh as the fresh scent of watermelons took over my senses (I didn't know how he managed to smell so good all the time) and I swear my face could've lighted up the room as his sweet breath tickled my ear. "You don't scream like that here! Hollows are going to hear you and if they manage to break down this wall, then I swear you'll be the first to go!"

I bit my tongue quickly. I liked him, but he was a jerk sometimes.

"You didn't have to go and say that," I whimpered, trying to pull off a sad tone. "You hurt my feelings."

"Don't give me that," I could practically hear him roll his eyes. "You're the one who slapped me!"

"… That was you?" I inquired, blinking with realization. When he didn't respond I huffed, turning away. "Well, maybe if you would stop moving around so much I wouldn't have to slap you to find you!"

Toushirou growled. "Just don't move. Even if we're separated, I'll be able to find you if you stay still," he sighed, tugging my hand as he moved to the side. I heard him tap random areas of the wall. "You're reiatsu level is constantly rising, so I can distinguish yours above the rest."

I pouted as I followed him. "But what if I want to find _you_? Can I pick you out by your reiatsu too?"

"If you're experienced enough," he responded absent-mindedly, "which you're definitely not. So don't try, you'll end up leading yourself into a Hollow's throat otherwise."

I pursed my lips in defeat. He was right, no surprise.

"… What're we doing here, anyway? Aren't we supposed to be _avoiding _danger?" I asked, starting to get annoyed by his pulling me around. I had to admit, though, I enjoyed it; his hands were soft and firm at the same time, giving me this very comfortable feeling… ugh, I'm hopeless.

"There's something I wanted to check out," he said, knocking on the wall. "I want to see the painting again."

"The painting?" I repeated. "Why?"

"I think it has something to do with discovering the 'cure' to their curse."

I stared at him in unbelief. Now that he mentioned it, the painting that I saw above this floor was the very top—it ended there. What could possibly be on the painting beneath it? I wasn't paying attention last night solely because I was too relieved to see Gina. After she told us about the secret passage, by the way, she went ahead of us to scurry back to her room. "And you're going to go out and mingle with the Hollows? You're expecting me to survive?"

"You're going to be photographing every important detail of the painting into your head," he said, "while I fight off the Hollows. After that, we'll come back and head off."

My eyes widened. "What—?!"

"Quiet, I found it. Get ready," Hitsugaya said, his grip on my hand releasing. I was tempted to grab it back, but I knew I couldn't. "Follow me after I run out. Don't focus on what's going on around you, just concentrate on the painting."

He pressed the switch. I hesitated. "But!"

The candle light from the other room poured into this dark hallway like water filling a jug. When Toushirou's beautiful green eyes turned to me, I thought I lost all of my ability to inhale and exhale. This was the first time I've seen him today, and he was as gorgeous as he always was. I fought back the urge to blush. "No time, Nagasuki," he said, unsheathing his sword. He ran out.

"Gah, that guy…!" I murmured, chasing after him.

He stood in the center of the path of candlesticks, his sword drawn and an icy aura cloaked around the shimmering blade. His professional stance made him look like a different person—as if he really meant business. It fit him perfectly. Meekly I took my first step into the dimly lighted room, my fists clenched under my chin and my knees knocking. The last time I was in a situation like this I was almost killed. "Um, T-Toushirou…"

He didn't budge from his spot.

There was nothing around, as far as I could see. Could Gina have been wrong about the Hollows? Maybe they got bored and wandered off? It was a possibility. I gulped and inched forward, yelping at the tiniest of sounds. There really did look like there was nothing here. "Toushirou, I don't—"

"Watch out!"

Abruptly I was shoved to the side, and I made a loud thump as I tumbled to the hard ground. Metal clashed above me and I gazed in horror as Toushirou's white back clouded my view. Something large—very large, with a white mask, beady yellow eyes, and claws that looked like they were six inches long and extra sharp, bent its weight onto the blade of its much smaller opponent. My voice caught in my throat.

With a growl the Shinigami captain overpowered the Hollow and it jumped back ten feet, snarling at us. "Get up, Nagasuki," he ordered, no longer in his sarcastic or annoyed tone. Superiority rubbed off him like a fog, and I was lost in it. "The sooner we do this, the sooner we'll be out of here."

Before I could respond he leaped back into action, and the fight had officially commenced. They had been waiting for us—and the first one had struck. It was only a matter of time until the other hundreds of Hollows sensed us and Toushirou and I would be in a bind. Gulping my heart down I pulled myself up, ignoring the sharp pain that soared up the elbow that I had landed on, and stepped back to take in the fullness of the painting.

It looked like it had been divided into four different scenes, each one telling a different story. It was like one of those paintings that started with the base picture, and blended into a whole different picture above it—and so on and so forth. The base picture was a picture of two men—one of them which I recognized. He had bright platinum hair and bronze eyes; it was the man in the picture on the very top. The other man I didn't recognize. He was a tall, lanky man with shaggy mousy hair. It was a picture of the two of them in some sort of school (considering they were in a uniform), it looked like—and they were friends. They were studying some book in a big, old-looking library that I couldn't make out.

"Ugh!"

The sharp, painful cry made me immediately turn just in time to see Hitsugaya slide across the ground, his upper arm grazed. My heart almost stopped as I saw blood drip from it onto the floor. Three huge Hollows, bloodlust in their eyes, followed him and the Shinigami bounced from the ground right before they clawed and gnashed at the exact spot—and then they all disappeared into the darkness. The distant sound of collisions was what I could now barely make out.

I had little time left.

The second picture was one of the same two men again—only it had a very different atmosphere set into it. A diagonal sliced through the picture and separated the two of them; the blonde man was facing the corner that was braced in light, while the other had his back turned and faced the other corner that was colored in very black paint. I shut my eyes tightly to try to block out another one of Hitsugaya's pained grunts, and focused on the next set. There was only two more to go.

The third one was an abstract painting; myriads of colors mixed into what looked like a destroyed piece of art. It looked like someone had deliberately messed it up when it had once been a picture. I could barely make out one figure—I couldn't tell what or who it was.

Finally, above it, was a picture of the brown-haired man, a look of pure hatred on his features. Darkness surrounded him and his teeth were bared as his fist was held up, and his crimson-colored eyes glared into the scene above him—the scene where the portrait of the family was.

"Toushirou! Toushirou, I'm done!" I shouted, spinning around. The road of candles was void of the white-haired Shinigami. Nothing answered for a while, and I bit my tongue to keep myself from thinking the worst. I ran down the aisle, despite my exit being right there—I wasn't going to leave without him. "Toushirou! Toushirou! Where are you?!" Silence, and an echo.

I held my breath. No, nothing happened to him. He's fine.

"Toushirou!" I cried again, cupping my mouth for more effect.

"Nagasuki!"

The forced response made my heart sigh with relief—however, it was very distant. The sound of metal clashing once again sounded, and I turned to look into the darkness where it had originated. "Run, Nagasuki! I'll meet up with you later!" I heard Toushirou say, followed by a screeching Hollow as it passed into oblivion. "There are too many Hollows here—I'll hold them off while you run. Hurry, now!"

If we were in a different situation, I would've burst out laughing.

He was absolutely crazy! There was no way I was leaving him here with so many Hollows by himself! "No way, Toushirou! You're coming with me or I'm staying here!"

I heard something of a frustrated roar some ways away. Two more Hollows cried their last before I heard them fade. "This isn't the time nor the place, idiot! Now _run!_"

I pouted. "But—"

"I'll be fine, now hurry before they find you!" He certainly didn't sound fine—he was forcing the words out, and he was heaving.

"Toushirou!"

"_Go!_"

And, as if out of nowhere, something soared from the side. My eyes widened as I suspected a Hollow—but it wasn't. At least, I didn't think it was. It was an animal completely made of ice, every detail of its scaly body revealed and glowing under the light of the candles; and when it turned to me, its red eyes burned into mine and it roared. I froze, unsure of what to do. I stared into the face of a dragon.

Before I could even blink it had charged at me, mouth agape as it flipped me onto its head. I screamed and hung onto it for dear life—it was soaring faster than any mustang! And it was freezing too (as expected of animals made of freaking ice), and if I couldn't hang onto it, I would've frozen onto it. I knew I should've been afraid or terrified—but for some reason, I wasn't. A familiar presence surrounded me that emitted from this dragon—a presence that felt mysteriously like Toushirou's.

While clinging to its scales, I gazed down to stare at its large crimson eyes. I gulped. Toushirou has a dragon?

When we were back at the painting the dragon abruptly stopped, sending me flying ten feet across the floor. I managed a painful cry as I saw stars, and slouched there for a while, trying to regain my senses.

"Don't worry about me and escape, Nagasuki." The voice was closer now and when I could see straight, I saw the dragon retract to circle around its source—Toushirou's sword. His now dirtied figure stood where the dragon once was, and his teal eyes gazed down at me. He had cuts all over himself and a thin line of blood trailed over his temple. I was speechless, and I didn't know whether it was because it was blood or if it was because that it was _his _blood.

"Why can't you come with me?!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. "You don't have to fight all of them!"

"I do," he said solemnly, his serious expression unchanging. "Shinigami get rid of Hollows. I have to bury all of these Hollows before they cause irrevocable damage."

The door was right next to me, but I made no move to head inside. The he talked made it sound like he was planning this all along. "But you'll die!" I didn't know if Shinigami could die, but I assumed so.

"No I won't," he retorted. We both turned as an angry shriek shook the room, and I yelped as something grabbed me and I was thrown into the secret door in the painting. I landed in the darkness with a hard thud, and gazed up to see Toushirou spinning the door.

"What're you doing?!" I shouted, leaping up and pulling the door back open. "I won't leave you, Toushirou!"

"Idiot, you honestly think you can help me by standing in the way?!" he shouted back. When he saw my frightened eyes leaking thick tears, he sighed and grabbed my wrists, pushing them back from the door. I watched him mutely as he quickly grabbed a candlestick from the borders and handed one to me. The solemnity of his eyes briefly flickered to genuine gentleness. "I'll find you after I'm done," he whispered as the shrieks behind him grew louder. There were more than I could imagine still lurking in there. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

My frown deepened. I really didn't want to leave him alone. I mean, we only just met up, and now we had to be separated again? This place was so unfair…! I sighed, and looked down to the candle he got for me. Then again, he was right—I'd be no help if I hung around here. He'd have to protect both himself _and _me. "Promise?" I meekly asked, holding out my pinky to him.

Something similar to a smirk and a smile curled onto his mouth and he grabbed my pinky with his. "_You_ don't get _yourself_ killed, and I'll promise."

"Deal." I trusted him. If he promised me he'd come back alive, then he was coming back alive.

We parted and he hastily shoved the door close. I waited for a few seconds before I heard another collision of metal and a sharp cry. Trying my best not to become tempted enough to open that door back up, I gathered myself and scurried back where I had once been, the candle being a very big help to me.

I was alone again.

Finding my way back down the hallway, I tried to abandon the thoughts of being by myself again and focused on locating the 'short cut' that Gina had relayed to us earlier that morning. If I remembered correctly, it was deeper down the hallway—the direction that she told us to avoid last night because it was unexplored. I guess she checked it out earlier this morning or something.

With the candle lighting my way I hurried down the seemingly endless path, counting the doors on my left as I did so. The path was somewhere in one of these rooms—the thirtieth door to the left. Man, these constructors must have had a jolly time making all these uninhabited rooms. With a small, pitiful shake of my head I slowly pushed open the said door, although not quickly. I made sure nothing would eat me if I came inside by poking my head inside and shining the candle light around. It looked empty enough to me. I tip-toed inside and quietly closed it.

I skittered to the far right corner, a victorious grin on my face as I discovered the very convenient secret that Gina had discovered. "Bingo," I murmured, inspecting the worn-down elevator with interest. That's right, this place was modern enough to have an elevator built into it—well, a pretty old-looking one, anyway. It looked like it had been a very fancy one, judging by the way it was designed; but it was worn-out now, and I had doubts about whether it would be able to bear my weight upwards. But it was something I'd bet on—according to Gina, this baby could take someone up to the eighth floor in about fifteen to thirty minutes. Talk about score!

I found the lever to open the gate, and cautiously stepped inside. It was a good thing the flooring was made of metal; otherwise, I would be out in a heartbeat. After adjusting a few settings, the elevator stirred and I was on my way to the eighth floor. It was going to be a while, so I sat down with my candle next to me, thinking about everything that's happened so far.

I met up with Gina, and almost got killed by the mangy cat Hollow. After that, Toushirou and I reunited and now we've checked up on the painting that he suspects is a clue to help solve the mystery of the Bounto. And, supposing the Bounto made this elevator for a reason, I'm guessing that there really isn't anything important about the seven floors I was going to skip.

My thoughts briefly reverted back to Toushirou, and I frowned. I hope he's all right…

Wait. I could ask him.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the present he and Rangiku got for me—a cell phone. Why didn't I think of this earlier?! Flipping it open, I searched for the phonebook and clicked on Toushirou's number. I was now up and pacing around nervously as the phone started ringing. It probably wasn't a good idea to bug him if he was still fighting, but I couldn't help myself. Being alone was torture now—it made me think about him. Dumb guy. It seemed like forever until he picked up. With excitement in my tone I exclaimed, "Toushirou! You're alive! Are you okay?!"

"Hello, Megumi-chan."

My eyes widened. That definitely wasn't Toushirou. It was someone I didn't recognize—a voice that was deeper, more intimidating. The phone began to shake in my hand as I lost the ability to find my voice. "Disappointed that your little boyfriend didn't answer?"

"Who are you?" I whispered, shock still overcoming me. "Where's Toushirou?!"

"Hmm, good question. Why don't you find out for yourself?"

"Huh?"

"Keep heading up to the eighth floor, hun, and know what our 'cure' is."

My jaw dropped. "How did you—?"

"Believe me, I know a lot, kid."

"Who are you?!"

"Don't keep him waiting, Megumi-chan. I'll be waiting for you." Click.

"Wait!"

With an aggravated sigh I snapped the phone shut and slouched against the fence, wondering what the heck I should do. Who was that guy, and why did he have Toushirou's phone? More importantly, where was Toushirou? Judging by the words of that man, he was a Bounto and knew where he was—was he in trouble? Was he hurt? Was he caught by the Bounto? Massaging my temples vigorously, I squeezed my eyes shut to prevent a future migraine. This wasn't good. If Toushirou was caught by those people, then I was going to have to rescue him.

But then again, there was the possibility that this guy was playing tricks with my mind, trying to make me believe that Toushirou was in some sort of danger when he really wasn't. He didn't actually _say_ that Hitsugaya was in trouble. Does that mean I could be heading for some trap if I decided to head up the eighth floor?

Ugh, I hate it when I was stuck. There were too many possibilities and options for the outcome of this ordeal; and if I made the wrong assumption and took the wrong turn, I could end up getting myself killed—or even worse, Toushirou _and _I killed.

The decision had already been made for me, I realized, when the elevator creaked to a stop. The gates opened into a lighter room, although it was still very dark. I was at the eighth floor. With a gulp and doubt entering me, I pocketed my phone and scooped up my light. There was only one way to go now—there was something waiting for me here and beyond. Knowing this, I stepped out of the elevator, feeling a cold draft waft around me.

'_And know what our 'cure' is.'_

I nibbled on my lip as I found myself in another small room, similar to the one Toushirou and I had spent the night in. I had no idea what the cure was. I just barely found out what the curse is! And that painting, which was an enigma to me, was the only thing I've explored. Did they think I was some brainiac or something that could guess up their cure in one night? Well, they certainly thought of the wrong person…

"Ugh, I really wish I had someone with me now…" I murmured to myself, holding out my candle further. If I had another head with me, I could probably find out what I'm supposed to do.

"You finally decided to show up, Megumi! I was beginning to worry about whether something happened to you or not!"

I screamed and spun around. The voice came from beside the elevator. I definitely wasn't cut out to be a Shinigami—even with a light I _still _didn't notice anyone. "Wh-Who's there?!" I stuttered.

Chuckling lightly, the shadow stepped from the wall he was leaning on to step into my light. My eyes widened.

"… Kisuke-san?"

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_Ending Theme__: "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay_

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**A/N: **You know, it's quick reviewers like you that make me update so fast. :3 I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. I left you with another cliffhanger, I know—and although I hate them as a reader, I love them as an author! Haha, much more suspense and wondering!

Please keeping sending in your reviews, everyone! They're helping out a lot!

**WeHoldTheseTruths, Skylite, MoonStarBeam, erina destiny, aminea88, BowlofRice, Meejin, Mei Fire, Sakiru Yume, Naruto-Lover227, Feather's Shadow, ih o w a l o n, Courtmaster Rin, Courtmaster Rin, Yorukirin, UchihaFanGirl, joster13, moogle in paradaisu, TideDrop, demogirl193, Kana090, creaturekid, Hana Ryuuzaki, Lillix Vail, TsukiKishuko, vCricket, mintmelodygirl, Slothy Girl, Ishiko Kitsune, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!**

**Words can't express my thanks!**

And for WeHoldTheseTruths and anyone else who was wondering about Megumi's appearance, check out chapter six. :3

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	16. Not Your Average Candy Shop Owner

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Wow, did I really upset you guys with my cliffhanger? Hahaha, that's great! I love building suspense. xP Sue me if you must! I really didn't expect to have this updated until later Saturday, but your 30 reviews made me update much earlier. THIRTY reviews, guys—that's more than I've ever imagined! Thank you so much for your support! Do you see that it really does help me update faster? X3 And especially since things happen in this chapter that I had to think long and hard about—you guys made it possible! I love you all!

Ooh, so Urahara appears on the scene! What's he doing in the House of Horrors, and how will Megumi react to his true identity? What has happened to Toushirou while all this is going on? Has he really been taken prisoner by the Bounto?!

READ ON TO FIND OUT!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER S I X T E E N :  
**_"Not Your Average Candy Shop Owner"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld_

* * *

"Kisuke-san?"

The jovial-as-always expression of my favorite candy shop owner grinned at me from beneath his bucket hat, tapping his cane on the echoing wood. I couldn't believe my eyes, and I didn't for the longest three minutes of my life. So many thoughts and questions erupted in my mind as I stared at his nonchalant smile, as though he were waiting for me to get over the shock of seeing him appear in such a place as this. And boy, was it a shock. I didn't expect Urahara, of all people, to greet me on the eighth floor of the House of Horrors, also known as the Bounto headquarters.

My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

The kind shop owner snapped the fan he was holding closed, and he tipped his hat gentlemanly at me. I supposed he got the point that I wasn't going to be able to speak for a while. "Fancy meeting you here in the infamous House of Horrors, Megumi! Surprised you didn't I?" he grinned with a hint of pride. "Good thing I caught you before you headed on; it's a slaughter house here!"

My chin hung down unattractively. 'Surprised' wasn't the right term for my feelings—it was more like about-to-faint-from-seeing-him shock. "What… what in the world are _you _doing here, Kisuke-san?!" I finally blurted out, almost dropping my candle. "How did you… where did you… how are you… when did you…?!" The questions were so many in numbers that I had trouble asking one at a time.

Urahara watched me, amused, and began laughing. I honestly didn't see what he thought was so funny about this. "Calm down, Megumi, no need to make such a fuss—"

"No need to make a fuss?! You freaking show up out of nowhere and act like you've been there all along, scaring the heck out of me, and you expect me not to make a fuss?!" I exclaimed, more out of excitement than frustration. Urahara Kisuke was here, with me, in the House of Horrors. He was the last person I'd expect to run into here, of all places!

"Now, now, watch your volume, Megu—if the Hollows aren't already being drawn to your reiatsu, then they'll definitely come foaming to your screaming. Calm down," he responded, placing both hands over my shoulders for effect. His gentle smile persuaded me to quiet down, despite the many inquiries roaring for voice in my throat. He knew about Hollows and reiatsu. Who was he? Could Urahara be a Shinigami too? Or worse—a Bounto?

"Let's take a walk, shall we? I'll explain everything on the way," he said, holding a finger to his lips as his palm gently led me down the room. Swallowing, I pursed my lips while trying to avoid looking at him. Doing so would only make me start shouting. "You're wondering how I know all of this, aren't you."

I rolled my eyes. "What gave it away?"

I could picture his mysterious grin curling onto his lips as he said, "I suppose I have been keeping things from you, Megumi. But you must understand: I had no idea you were in cahoots with one of the Shinigami captains. If I would've known that, well, you would've known about everything else I knew. Well, most of it, anyway."

"You know about Shinigami and reiatsu—Hollows, too," I said, defiantly trying to keep my voice from rising to a shout. "I always thought you were just the nice candy shop owner down the street, Kisuke-san—but I guess you aren't. What are you, exactly?"

I didn't even notice that we were now out in the hallway. "I'm just what you thought I was, Megu—a candy shop owner," he responded with peculiar cheer, grinning down at me. "I just happen to be a very informed one."

"No kidding," I murmured. "How did you get in here?"

"One step at a time," Urahara said. "Actually, I just followed you. When you told me you'd be coming here last night, I decided to tag along. I've been having bad feelings about this place anyway—and I guess my assumptions were correct." Something was telling me he was hiding something.

I pursed my lips. "What about Jinta, Ururu, and Tessai?"

"They're around here somewhere, I think."

"What?! You let them wander around by themselves?!"

Urahara grinned at me. "So Megu, what's your story? You seem to know quite a bit, and your energy is off the charts. Why didn't you tell me that your boyfriend was Hitsugaya Toushirou?"

I turned cherry red at his last question. "He's not my boyfriend! He's just… a friend."

He chuckled. "Forgive me for offending you. Tell me what's happened to you so far."

Although I definitely wasn't expecting Urahara, at least he was someone—someone I could leak out all my problems to. It was just like before when I visited him from time to time, getting advice from him; he was like a dad to me. The dad I never had. So I told him everything—well, everything that was important. I told him about Gina and the Hollow attacking me, how that I was trapped in here and nearly killed if it weren't for Gina helping me out, and meeting up with Toushirou. I told him about the painting that I'd seen and how I couldn't make any sense out of it—and then I told him about how Toushirou and I were separated.

Like always, Urahara listened quietly until I was done with a thoughtful expression. "The painting—you mean the humongous one that drops to the basement?"

I blinked. He really was informed. "Yeah."

"Hmm," Urahara mused, cupping his chin. "Looks like a tragic story to me."

"Huh? Why?"

"Those two men that were on it—did you notice how the atmosphere of the painting transitioned from warm and cooperative to hostile and separated by the fourth panel? And did you ever wonder why the portrait of the family was set by itself on a floor above it?"

"I didn't… not until now," I responded after a brief moment of thought. "Wow, you really don't miss anything do you?"

"What can I say? Observation is my specialty," he announced proudly. "My theory on the story of the painting is that once upon a time there were two young men. These men grew up together, went to school together, studied together; until one day, an obstacle came between them." I listened attentively, like a child to her bed-time story. It reminded me of the stories I was read to when I was a kid. Urahara noticed my involved expression and chuckled lightly. "Do you know what that obstacle was, Megu?"

He was building the suspense. "No," I answered quickly.

"Shall I leave it there as a—what do you call it?—cliffhanger?"

"Kisuke-san!"

"Kidding, kidding," he laughed. "That obstacle, Megumi, is the life of every man's being: love."

I blinked obliviously. "… Love? There was no woman in the picture besides the one in the portrait."

"Exactly."

"So your theory is that those two men went their separate ways and abandoned all they ever were to each other over some lady?" I asked, crossing my arms. It sounded like a cliché love story. "What if that darker guy was angry at the other man because he got to have a family and a happy life with his love while he remained alone?"

Urahara pursed his lips. "Hmm. That's a possibility, I suppose. I wasn't necessarily focusing on women, though."

"Then what…?"

"I just said it. Love," Urahara responded. "Tragic, isn't it? Two men want the same thing and one of them finds happiness while the other wallows in sorrow… I'm starting to tear up, myself!"

Love? The reason those two had separated was because one found what he was looking for and the other one didn't? That made no sense. Why would they become hostile towards each other after that? There was no reason for them to be mad at each other because they found someone they loved—unless… my first assumption that I thought was cliché was correct. Maybe they both found love in that woman, but one of them managed to win her over while the other didn't. That would explain the hatred.

I nibbled on my thumb nail nervously. That man had suffered because he had his love taken away from him… so the only way to solve that problem would be to find love for him. Could that be it? Could love—the woman in the picture—be the cure to the Bounto curse of death?

… It sounded so cliché. And it still didn't explain why the portrait was positioned by itself while the rest of it was in the basement…

"Megumi?"

"Mmm? Oh, sorry, what?" I responded, looking up at my companion.

"I was expressing my sorrow for these two people and you're spacing out!" Urahara said, faking a sad voice. "You deeply hurt me, Megu. Right here," he added, pointing to his heart.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, hush. Where are we going, anyway?"

"Wherever our feet lead, Megumi! Our curiosity leads us to victory!"

"Isn't it 'curiosity killed the cat'?"

"Not according to my last checking!"

I shook my head and gazed at the floor. "Hey, Kisuke-san… do you think Toushirou's okay?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask?"

I told him about what happened after he and I separated—the phone call. "I'm worried."

Urahara rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "Knowing Hitsugaya-taichou, he's probably doing just fine. He was in the basement with the Hollows, you said?"

I nodded quietly. "Yeah."

He smiled at me. "Then he's perfectly fine. He can take care of himself. He may be a little boy, but he's one powerful Shinigami. He's not one to allow himself to fall to the Bounto or Hollow without killing himself first. I think he might've dropped his phone or something and the Bounto got a hold of it."

I stared at him before returning his grin softly. "Thanks."

Ha, he knew about Bounto too. Surprise, surprise. Sometimes I wonder how much he actually knew that he wasn't letting on.

I had been so involved in our conversation that I didn't notice the scenery change. I expected it to get warmer with the height, but instead it just got colder. The only thing that did change was that the upper floors seemed to be much better taken care of. Things looked like they had actually been dusted, and there was now beautiful, classy furniture lining the walls. There were also some tiny lanterns and lamps here and there, so it was bright enough that I didn't need a candle. It was a big transition from dark and murky to a little more tolerable and dignified.

"Hey, are we still on the eighth floor?"

"Nope. You didn't notice the stairs we walked up?"

"So we're on the ninth floor?"

"Correct."

This was the second-to-last floor of this mad house. We had gotten (thanks to Urahara's lucky wandering) through the eighth floor without drawing any trouble to ourselves. I was both relieved and terrified at the same time—what awaited us on the tenth floor? Or, rather, what was waiting for us _here_? Glancing to Urahara, who was looking around with the most interested expression on his face, I asked, "Hey, Kisuke-san. How much do you know about everything that's going on?"

He didn't answer immediately, but when he did, a mysterious smirk was my first response. "I know about as much as you, Megu—maybe a little more. But that doesn't concern you."

He was so vague.

This floor was much more fancier than the past eight floors, but it was also much more maze-like—some rooms were designed and decorated the exact same way to throw Urahara and I off, making us walk around in circles more than once for about one hour. Needless to say, I was very ticked when we appeared where we started for the tenth time.

"We aren't getting anywhere," I complained, crossing my arms as I trailed being Urahara.

"It may seem that way," he responded, only a pitch less cheerful and one pitch more serious. "But I believe we're making progress. There are some mixed reiatsu energies on this floor… very peculiar."

"You can sense reiatsu, too?" I complained, a little jealous. "I wish I could do that…"

"There's nothing to it, really," he chuckled absent-mindedly.

I blinked as we found ourselves wandering into a wide room—a room that looked like a ball room. We'd come through here five times already. The extravagant tiled floors shined elegantly under the sparkling chandelier, glittering like we were walking on a cluster of stars. A staircase (which was a monster to climb) that wound very high upwards bordered the father half of the room, leading to a line of five separate doors; Urahara and I had already taken the side two doors that led back to the beginning, but we haven't tried the middle door yet. I was guessing that it would lead us to our next pit stop. "Really?" I responded, surprised. "Toushirou said that it took a lot of experience as a Shinigami."

"That's true for some people," Urahara shrugged. Our footsteps echoed in the large room. "For others, it's as easy as saying your ABC's."

"Oh… so do you think I can—"

Urahara's cane shot out in front of me, abruptly stopping me from talking. Standing in the center of the room, right under the great diamond chandelier, I stared at his arm before slowly following it up to a serious-looking Urahara. "Kisuke-san? What's wrong?"

He sighed. "I didn't mind it following us for the first round of our wandering, but now it's starting to get tedious," I heard him murmur, although not to me. He gazed around from under his bucket hat, an uncharacteristic frown on his face. "Come on out now, no need to hide. I know you've been following us since the eighth floor."

What in the world was he talking about? Someone had been following us? With a very confused look on my face I swerved around to see what he was talking about. A light-hearted chuckle answered Urahara's call and stepped out from the door we had just entered through. I stared peculiarly at him; he was tall and fair-skinned with a sharp face, unusual crimson-colored eyes, and light curly, thin blonde hair. He was dressed in a heavy-looking cloak that hung loosely on his lanky frame, and his hood head been discarded. A kind of humorous grin played on his lips as he greeted the two of us casually with a wave of his palm.

"Yo," he said in a familiar voice. "You're not as oblivious as you look. I expected Megumi-chan to come alone so I wouldn't be noticed, but I guess I can't expect that when the infamous Urahara Kisuke is involved."

I blinked. How did he know me and Kisuke? Why did he sound so familiar? "You're… you're…"

His blood-toned eyes turned on me, and a small smirk curled onto his young features. He didn't look much older than I was—in fact, he was probably about three or four years my senior. I had to admit, he was kind of cute too. He didn't look like a native to Japan either—a foreigner? "Remember me, kid?"

Urahara stiffened as he shifted in front of me, and I stared hard at the older male, trying to remember where I had heard him from. Suddenly it came to me.

'_You know those vampire stories your parents told you when you were kid?'_

'_They're real.'_

'_Don't keep him waiting.'_

"You're that guy I met a month ago, and the guy on the phone!" I exclaimed, the realization dawning on me like the sun. "What'd you do with Toushirou?! Where is he?!"

"A pleasure to finally meet you face to face, Megumi-chan," he replied with mock etiquette, bowing to me. He smirked at my question. "Don't worry, your friend is in… well, he was alive the last time I checked. In fact, he should be just beyond that door you and the old guy were about to go through. You want to come with me?"

I gritted my teeth, and Urahara breathed my name to calm me down.

"You're a Bounto." It was more like a statement than a question. "What's your name?" Urahara asked calmly.

He smirked proudly. "Romeo, the most charming Bounto of our group."

We stared at him blankly. A few seconds passed before Urahara responded, "No, really. What's your name?"

He lowered his eyes at us, the proud smirk disappearing to be replaced with a scowl. "… I'm serious. That's my name."

We let a few moments pass by to let it sink in. "… Romeo? As in Romeo and Juliet?" I repeated.

"That's me."

I arched a brow. Well, he certainly wasn't Romeo material…

I expected Urahara to make a joke out of it, but instead a serious expression took over his features. I saw his jaw tense. "What do you want? I thought that our meeting would come at the end of this charade," he said.

Romeo shrugged his broad shoulders, lifting off his slouching position on the doorframe. "I've been given orders to not let anyone but Megumi-chan through," he responded, slowly walking towards us. "So I've got to get rid of you first." His casual smile sent shivers down my spine.

Urahara chuckled. "Would you mind answering a few questions before you fail in doing so?"

I stared up at Urahara in horror. Was he challenging him?

The blonde laughed aloud, highly entertained by the idea. "You're funny, old man."

"Stand back, Megumi," Urahara said, not turning to face me. "Things are going to get ugly."

Romeo smirked, winking at me. "I won't keep you waiting for long, kiddo."

They were going to fight.

I wanted to say something, anything, to make them avoid a fight, but all I could do was step back several paces as the two opponents glared each other down. I didn't even know Urahara was capable of inflicting harm on others—he had always been too nice for that. I saw him clutch his cane and hold it in a position that resembled a sword. Was he going to fight with it?

"Awaken, Benihime," Urahara murmured quietly. My eyes widened as his palm clutched the rear of his cane, slowly tugging on it to reveal a shimmering blade beneath. His cane had been a sword in disguise. As soon as he said those words, an eerie, powerful glow bordered his body and his bucket hat fluttered off his head, billowing to the side. I could feel my body rigid against the unnatural breeze emitting from him, tossing my hair behind me.

Urahara Kisuke—he was a Shinigami. But why wasn't he wearing a shihakusho?

Romeo, however, looked unfazed. A patient look came over him with his arms crossed over his chest. "Pretty impressive for a fogy," I heard him muse. "Mine's better, though." With an excited grin he threw off his cloak, which clunked heavily to the ground beside him. He was now wearing lighter attire composed of a white button-up shirt casually worn, a loose crimson tie, and a straight pair of jeans. A large, blooming red rose was worn as a ring on his right middle finger and seemed to glow under the fluorescent light. "Show yourself, Fiorella," he smirked, holding out his ringed hand.

A pulse boomed from the rose. A wary energy began leaking from Romeo while he stood there, intimidating in his calm poise. Urahara remained still, consuming information about him while waiting. I stood several feet from the battle scene, my eyes wide in either shock or amazement—probably a mixture of both. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Urahara the Shinigami and Romeo the Bounto in a face-off, both revealing their powers in the Bounto headquarters. My mystery novel had just turned into an action film as I trembled in my spot. I wish I had my diary with me.

Romeo's rose ring began to take on a different form. I watched, the scene reflecting in my eyes, as a silhouette emerged from the center of the rose, as if it were a butterfly tearing out of its cocoon. It's petite, feminine body glowed a soft pink as it acquired the body of a pixie-looking creature with big green eyes, standing about four inches tall. Tiny wings sprouted from her back and long red hair, the color of a rose, fell in soft waves that exceeded her very small body.

"Urahara-jii-chan, Megumi-chan, meet Fiorella, my doll," Romeo introduced as the cute little thing fluttered up to his shoulder. It stared about the situation silently, a frown on her face. It was hard for me not to grin endearingly. She was so cute! I could just run up there and squeeze her to death, she was so adorable!

"Quite a _doll_ you've got there, eh?" Urahara piped with a small, comical grin, pleased with his joke. I smacked my forehead. "Doesn't look like she could hurt a fly."

Fiorella blinked once, twice, and then whispered something into her master's ear. He grinned. "She doesn't like you."

His smile widened. "Likewise with Benihime," he stated. "Megumi," he spoke suddenly, grabbing my attention. "You go on ahead while I fight with him. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to protect both myself and you if you stay."

My eyes widened. What?

Romeo's expression changed from pride to amusement. "Yeah, right! Megumi-chan by herself on floor ten? That's like suicide!" He turned to me. "That's where all the really strong, nasty Hollows are, Megumi-chan. You wouldn't last five seconds in there without a Bounto. Just wait for me—once I kill this guy, I'll take you there personally, eh? 'Cause I'm not suppose to let you die."

I didn't even have time to register anything before Urahara turned to grin at me. "Go on, Megumi-chan. If what he says is true, then Hitsugaya's up there, too, isn't he?"

With my lips slightly agape, I realized he was right. Romeo did say Toushirou was behind those doors… "But… the Hollows," I said. There was no way I could fight off a bunch of Hollows, and I could only run for my life for so long. "I can't survive by myself!"

"Didn't he say he wouldn't let you die?"

I stared at him in surprise. "How did you…?"

He winked at me. I flushed.

"A-All right," I murmured, stepping back.

"Ha! As if I'm gonna let you," I heard Romeo snicker. Before I could even blink, Urahara had somehow transported in front of me, swiping at the Bounto with his gleaming zanpakutou. I didn't even notice any of them move.

"Your fight's with me, _Romeo_," Urahara smirked at a scowling Romeo. "Go on, Megumi-chan."

I nodded as I had already taken off up the stairs. Urahara had taken on a whole new identity that I wasn't yet used to, but he was still Urahara Kisuke—the man that I trusted as a child would her father. I gazed down the staircase at the two men poised, ready for battle—and in a blink, I heard a powerful clash that shook the ground and threw me off balance. I yelped, lucky that my reflexes caught me before I indented the floor with my face.

"_I'm going to kill you, old man!_" Romeo sneered, glowing.

"Bring it on, lover boy," Urahara grinned confidently, his sword pointed at him.

Quickly I scurried to the top of the balcony and headed towards the double-doors in the center of the wall. They were almost ten feet tall, making me gulp anxiously. My trembling hands grabbed the door handles and with more effort than I thought I shoved open the heavy doors, almost tripping over my own weight. The intimidating clashes behind me encouraged me to head inside before I was caught in an explosion or something, but I cautiously looked inside first. It was brightly lit, like this room was—and much more extravagant. It definitely didn't look like a place where Hollows lived.

Maybe Romeo was trying to play with my mind.

Keeping this possibility in mind I quietly stepped inside (despite that my entrance was introduce by the monstrously noisy opening of the door) and turned around to close them with an excited grin. If Romeo was telling the truth about Toushirou, then he was here on this floor somewhere. I couldn't wait to see him again…

I spun around to shut the doors, my grand rescue plan creating itself in my mind—when suddenly an abrupt roar sounded to my side, and before I knew what was going on, something pounced on me, sending me falling to the tiled ground and my head making a sickening smack as it crashed onto the floor. Red blots smeared my vision and I could barely make out my attacker.

A low, excited hiss resounded in my throbbing eardrums as something heavy held me down.

"_Our paths just keep crossing, don't they, little girl?"_ sneered the cat Hollow. It reared its head back, uttered a triumphant howl, and, with its mouth agape, its head descended at an alarming rate towards mine.

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_Ending Theme__: "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay_

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**A/N: **SORRY, I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF! It's become a habit now. D: Please don't hate me! I was kind of displeased with this chapter, myself, because there was lack of Toushirou! I hope Urahara's appearance makes up for it though. Don't worry, though, Toushirou's coming back soon!

So finally the Bounto have revealed themselves; well, at least Romeo did! What is it about Megumi that makes her so special to the Bounto? What is their true objective? Megumi has a hunch about their cure, but what happens after that? And where's Toushirou? How will Megumi handle the situation she's been thrust into? OH, THE SUSPENSE!

Want to find out quick? Then send in those reviews!

Special thanks to my wonderful reviewers:

**moogle in paradaisu, Akiko Rivers, Kana090, Sakiru Yume, vCricket, TsukiKishuko, Sarimia, joster13, demogirl193, Meejin, ih o w a l o n, iiTs a Fantasy, TideDrop, Courtmaster Rin, sakura4594, nonday, UchihaKinakae, DarkShadowMuffin, Hana Ryuuzaki, MoonStarBeam, erina destiny, Yorukirin, English-X-Rose, RyuseiStreamGirl, Naruto-Lover227, Feather's Shadow, Mei Fire, Skylite, TheKingJingles, creaturekid, Lillix Vail, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**REALLY! THANK YOU!!!**

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	17. Battling Emotions

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Oh. My. Goodness. Thirty-eight reviews. You guys have left me utterly speechless, and just when I thought that chapter wouldn't be that popular… man, you guys really proved me wrong. I appreciate it so much. As a reward, here's another quick chapter for you all! Thank you so much for supporting me—I've gone from getting an average of ten reviews to twenty, and I'm about to hit an average of thirty! That's more than I'd ever imagined for this story! You guys are awesome, the best in the world. And I feel really honored that I've gotten requests from some of you guys asking for me to be your beta reader! Thanks so much!

This chapter is a bit confusing, and I had so many ideas that I rushed into it—of course I read over it before I posted it, but please forgive any mistakes you may see.

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER S E V E N T E E N :  
**_"Battling Emotions"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld_

* * *

"_Our paths just keep crossing, don't they, little girl?"_

I wasn't in the right mind, even when I was aware that a jaw lined with razor-sharp teeth was about to eat my face off. I could still see stars dotting my vision as I tried to subdue the vague throbbing in the back of my head enough so that I could grasp my situation, but I still could hypothesize something: I was in trouble. Most large, heavy black creatures don't jump out at you roaring for no reason. As if my body knew what was about to happen, it tensed and I stared blankly into a pair of squinted golden eyes.

"Ururu, now!"

A loud resounding 'BOOM' echoed in my ears and before I knew what was going on, the heavy weight was lifted off of me and I could finally inhale properly. I gasped and rolled onto my side as a small blur soared over me in the direction the Hollow was blown towards. I heaved until my oxygen flow was returned to normal. What had just happened?

"Oi, you okay?" A familiar voice spoke next to me, and I felt a shadow over my face.

Slowly I opened my eyes after my breathing was finally reduced to normal, and I got a full glance of the person. He was small, irritated, and had really bright red hair… "… Jinta?" I said wearily, sitting up and rubbing the back of my head. I winced when I discovered that there was a very painful lump back there. "What… what're you doing—"

"You dolt!" Jinta shouted, lifting a palm and slamming it into the back of my head—exactly where my sore was. While I sobbed in anguish, he stared down at me with a look beyond that of exasperation. "Man, you're so dense! Be more careful of your surroundings!" he bellowed. "If we didn't see you in trouble, you wouldn't be here right now! How can you expect to survive in this world if you're walking around as if nothing will happen to you?! You're stupid! Idiot!"

With tears fogging my vision from his painful slap I tried my best to look at him, but could only make out the annoyance in his narrowed eyes. "J-Jinta," I whimpered, wiping furiously at my eyes. When I got a better look at him, he stood glaring at me; and it was then that I noticed a humongous iron bat that he clutched in his hand. It was bigger than he was! My eyes widening in confusion, I looked up at the younger boy. "What is _that_?" I inquired, motioning to whatever it was in his hand.

"This is the tool for your punishment!" he shouted, pounding it into his other open palm. I guess he was still angry with me…

"Jinta-kun! It's running away!"

Our attentions were diverted as a cry from Ururu sounded, and Jinta growled as a black blur whizzed past us. The red-haired boy just seemed to disappear as he went chasing after it with more speed than I'd ever seen, and I heard the Hollow emit an angry hiss as it skidded to a stop in front of him. It was very beat up and bloody; I'm not surprised that Jinta managed to outrun it in that state. My eyes bulged out even more as Ururu's thin form trotted towards that general direction, but that wasn't what surprised me—rather, it was the demonically gigantic bazooka-thing she carried over her shoulder. I guess that was what made the boom earlier.

"Die, you stupid cat!" Jinta shouted as he reared back his weapon as he would a baseball bat, and smacked the head of the Hollow towards Ururu. I winced as the nasty crack to its skull echoed across the room, and shut my eyes as Ururu shot another cannonball into the Hollow. Its painful cries and bitter curses filled my ears as it gradually faded, before everything went silent.

"Are you okay, Megumi-chan?"

Ururu's concerned voice tore me from my fear and I opened my eyes to see the two of them standing over me. Ururu's hand was extended to me, but I didn't seem to realize it. These two kids had just killed a Hollow and saved me. With tears in my eyes I leaped onto them, seizing them both in a tight embrace. "Oh, Jinta! Ururu! I love you!" I cried.

"I'm glad you're not hurt," Ururu responded softly, awkwardly patting my back.

"Oh, geez, stop! You already look pathetic enough!" Jinta rolled his eyes while trying to pry me off. "What're you doing here anyway? Where's the lazy shop owner?"

The ground shook as a tremor seized the floor, and Jinta and Ururu struggled under my weight to keep from falling over. I released them with an awkward grin, jabbing a thumb over my shoulder to the previous room. "He's where that boom was, fighting a Bounto."

Jinta and Ururu stared at me for three seconds before looking at each other and nodding. Ururu grabbed my hand as Jinta ran off down the hallway, deeper into the tenth floor. I was dragged behind the smaller girl as she followed him, making random turns and heading up and down different staircases. This continued for five minutes before finally I asked, "Where are we going?!"

Jinta didn't turn as he replied, "He told us that, if we met up, that we were supposed to get you out of here. Tessai's ahead of us scouting the area for an exit."

"They want you for some reason, Megumi-chan," Ururu added. I was amazed by how powerful these two were; I never expected them to have been hiding these powers without me noticing! Their endurance and speed were cheetah-like! "We need to get you out of here before they hurt you."

My eyes widened at the information. The Bounto wanted _me_? Why? I didn't solve their mystery yet—I didn't discover their plot. Why would they want me? What did I do? "Tessai's looking for the exit?" I murmured, lost in thought. I almost smiled at the mere image—me bursting out of the House of Horrors and finally getting some sunlight. But a face suddenly flashed in my mind, making me gasp in remembrance. "Toushirou! Do you know where Toushirou is, any of you?"

"You mean the short captain? He's here too?" Jinta responded with surprise. "No, I haven't seen him."

"I haven't either. Sorry, Megumi-chan."

My hopes dampened at their responses. They had been wandering around this floor and haven't seen him at all? Then where was he? Worry came over me as I assumed the worst. Was he really in trouble? Was he hurt somewhere? Was he… no, he couldn't be dead. I shouldn't have even considered that! "Then where…" I said to myself sadly, "Where are you, Toushirou?" I wasn't going to leave this place without him. I needed to find him—or at least make sure he was okay.

Ururu suddenly stopped in a wide, circular room, sending me flying into her solid back. I held onto her for support. "Why'd you stop?" I asked, steadying myself.

"We're surrounded, Jinta-kun."

"… I know."

"Surrounded?" I piped. "By what?"

Ururu's grip on my wrist released and she now supported the bazooka on her shoulder with both hands. She had been running with that thing the whole time. Jinta fell in the same defensive stance, an irritated look on his face. "How many did you count, Ururu?"

Her empty eyes remained still. "… Two, three, four… five of them."

"Great," Jinta growled. "Come on out, you lowlife Hollows! I know you're here!"

"Megumi-chan, step back, please," Ururu whispered to me. "Make sure you're hidden."

I didn't have time to question her before a group of five shadowed blurs leaped from the sides of the room; some were hidden on the bookshelves that lined the ceilings, some were hiding in the furniture—some even burst from the ground! In shock I discovered that we actually were surrounded—by a cluster of five crazy-looking Hollows. Each of them was, on average, a good six heads taller than us. I stumbled back subconsciously.

"You guys are so freaking annoying," Jinta murmured, initiating the fight as he rashly jolted forward. The first Hollow he attacked roared before leaping back as he swung. The rest happened all too quickly. I was shoved back several feet by Ururu, who went crazy firing all her cannon balls on any opponent that came too close.

Thankfully, none of the Hollow seemed to notice me as I quietly got up off the ground, grabbing onto the wall I was shoved to for balance. I stared in awe at the scene before me; prior to the battle, I was afraid of Jinta and Ururu being overpowered and outnumbered, but they were both doing very well for an unfair fight. It looked like they had done this millions of times before.

Despite my trembling knees I finally regained my balance, and I watched the fight. Ururu's shot were precise and becoming more powerful and more fatal with each shot; Jinta was having a fun time literally knocking the blocks off his enemies, slamming them into walls. While watching them, I wondered: if Jinta and Ururu were capable of all this, then what could _Tessai_ do?

I shuddered at the thought. It was hard to imagine sweet, gentle Tessai causing harm to _anyone_.

Toushirou, Rangiku, and now Urahara and his crew—they are all so amazing. I felt honored to be able to know all of them.

A small smile slowly curled onto my face, before a small movement to my side caught my eye. I turned.

It was a flash of white.

It came and disappeared so fast I thought I was imagining it. But something was scurrying around behind the slightly ajar door. I noticed because it was barely ten feet away from me. This place was left unexplored so far, meaning anything could happen. Normally I would be freaked out, but I was very tempted to just barge in and start an excavation in the room. Toushirou had white all over him, so it was a possibility that that blur could have been him…

My mind failed to catch up with my body as I cautiously made my way over to the door, making sure not to attract any unwanted attention. "Just one peek," I told myself, my palm on the door. "Just one peek and I'll come back out." I glanced over my shoulder to Jinta and Ururu; they were faring well by themselves—they wouldn't notice if I disappeared for just a minute or two.

With a small lump in my throat I pushed open the door, and saw nothing in the path. I gulped as I quietly poked my head inside. So far, there was nothing here that looked like it could harm me. I looked to my left—nothing. I looked to my right—

_BONK._

Something hard hit slammed against my head, and I could vaguely make out a voice as I tumbled forward, my vision fading…

"I'm sorry…"

* * *

I was stirred awake to some sound consistently repeating itself and the biting cold nipping at my skin. With a strangled gasp my head shot up all too quickly to painfully bash against a wall behind me. As a result I bit my tongue and caused even more injury to myself. Tears rimmed my eyes as I struggled to think straight, and to swallow my horrific shock to a point where I could try to distinguish my situation. I blinked once, twice, three times, and looked around in confusion.

"Where am I…?" I murmured to myself. It was dark and damp in here. No more was it the brightly lit, elegant atmosphere of the ninth and tenth floors, but now I was somewhere else. Judging by the feel of the wall, it was made out of stone plasters and the room I was in was small, with the only exit I could make out being a metal door across from me. There were no windows whatsoever, but my eyes had adjusted to the darkness well enough so that could make out everything. How long had I been unconscious? Who had knocked me out?

I shook my head, trying to block away the cold. It was _freezing_ in here. I felt like I was thrown in an ice box. My teeth chattered and I could see my breath form a thin, visible fog before me. I tried to move forward. "What the…?" I wasn't going anywhere. I pulled on my arms—and it was then I realized.

I was chained to the wall.

I thought that I had just lost the feeling to my limbs for a second. "Oh, crap," I cursed in labored breaths, pulling again. They weren't making any progress. I could feel thick, cold cuffs around my wrist and my arms were held over my head, which would explain why breathing was hard. I was in a cell. I tried hard not to scream and lose even more oxygen.

I had allowed myself to be captured—gah, stupid me! "Idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot…" I scolded myself, knocking my head into the wall with each idiot I said. Jinta was right—I'm so careless! I should have just stayed with them in the room and not moved at all! And now they're going to find that I'm gone and they'll be in more trouble… I'm so stupid! I'm selfish! "Help! Help me!" I shouted, trying to pry myself out of my bondage. "Kisuke! Jinta! Ururu! Tessai! Toushirou! Help!"

I knew my screams were futile—but I couldn't give up. I couldn't just sit here while everyone else is risking their behinds to keep me safe…

"Help! Someone, anyone!"

As if in response, there was a noise in the distance—it sounded like a gate being opened, following after the click of a lock being undone. My struggling momentarily ceased as I heard footsteps drawing near. Who was it? Had someone heard me screaming? My hopes rose as I heard something being done with the metal door across from me. As it slowly began creaking open, I expected to see Urahara or Tessai or Toushirou to enter. My eyes widened.

It wasn't any of them.

It was a lean figure donned in a heavy black coat. "Bounto," I whispered to myself in realization. Immediately the panic kicked back in and I began to struggle. They must want to kill me now or something. I wonder if this is how all the other people before me died too?

The figure slowly inched forward until he was about a foot away from me. "No, don't, please don't kill me!" I cried, my fright showing in my streaming tears. "I can't die yet! Not now!"

They didn't move. I was wondering if he was trying to build the suspense. If he was going to kill me, he might as well do it quick… for the courtesy of the victim. With shaking knees I gazed up at the person. They had their hood shadowing their face, so I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. "Please," I murmured. "If… If you're going to kill me, please tell me something first."

They remained motionless.

"What… what are you trying to do? Please answer me that."

Minutes passed by in silence. None of us moved. My tears didn't stop falling as I realized that they were going to kill me first. I hung my head. "Please…"

"Megumi."

My eyes widened. That was a boy's voice—a familiar boy's voice. My head rose slowly to see his gloved hand lifting, hesitant; and he flicked back his hood. My heart froze.

"… Hikaru?"

Dark red hair stuck out in the darkness and his electric blue eyes stared at me. It was Hikaru. My mouth hung slightly open, speechless. I couldn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't believe what was standing in front of me—_who_ was standing in front of me. I swallowed in both fear and unbelief. My head was pounding, and reverberated loudly in my eardrums—I was starting to lose my ability to think straight. It couldn't be…

Hikaru wordless reached his hand into his cloak, his features hidden beneath his bangs; and he pulled out a small opal shard connected to a thin chain. I recognized it immediately—it was a necklace I had gotten for him for his birthday a couple years ago. "Show yourself, Yseult," I heard him murmur. Like Romeo's ring, Hikaru's necklace glowed. I closed my eyes as the light briefly blinded me.

When it faded, I saw that the necklace had disappeared and morphed into a large animal that stood calmly at Hikaru's waist—a beautiful wolf that had fur that reminded me of Antarctica. It had a gentle appearance to it with graceful limbs and pointed fur that looked like it was made from icicles; and it stared at me quizzically with its silver eyes. It looked big enough to ride on.

"Hikaru…" I murmured. "What…"

"Yseult." His voice was distant, cold—I'd never heard that tone from him before.

The wolf stared up at its master for a brief moment. After a second it turned to me, baring its teeth—and now I understood the situation. Hikaru was going to kill me. Yseult hoisted itself onto its hind legs, and I gulped as it towered about a head over me. I shut my eyes and looked to the side. I heard it growl softly and a sharp crunch sounded afterwards. A few moments later, another painful-sounding crunch filled my ears.

There was no pain.

I opened my eyes in confusion as my arms fell limply to my side, my cuffs and chains clanking to the ground. It had bitten off my bondages. I stared at my feet for a few seconds before whispering, "Hikaru…"

Hikaru gently gripped my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look up at him face-to-face. I stared up at him, lost in confusion. "H-Hikaru, you're… you're… you're a…"

He cut me off as he bent his head and caught my lips with his. My eyes widened, and my body tensed. Warmth filled me like pouring water in a cup. My heart throbbed against my chest and I squeezed my eyes shut—this wasn't right. This wasn't the time or the place. Hikaru wasn't supposed to be here. But here he was, dressed as a Bounto and… kissing me. I had high expectations for my first kiss—it needed to be soft, gentle, full of compassion. But this wasn't it—this kiss was full of hesitation, sorrow… and regret?

Before I could make out the emotions he was sending me he pulled away with a hidden expression on his face. I stared at him with wide eyes, unsure of what I should do or say.

"Good bye," he said, barely over a whisper, as he branched and headed out. Yseult followed quietly behind him.

Too many emotions erupted inside me as I watched him leave. His footsteps were echoing loud and clear in my mind; his face, full of hesitation and sadness, was embedded into my memory; the coldness of his lips over mine and the cautiousness of his touch burned on my skin. I could only stand there, so confused and about ready to fall over, as Hikaru walked away from me. Why?

It wasn't until five minutes later did I finally regain control over my senses.

I took off sprinting after him.

My head was spinning and I didn't know where I was going, but I knew what I was doing: I was following Hikaru. I had to track him down and ask him what the heck was going on. Why he had done what he did, who he was, what he was doing… I needed to know, for my sanity's sake. "Hikaru," I breathed as I skidded into the main hallway. I was there just in time to see a black cloak turn into another hallway. "Hikaru, why?" When I reached the hallway he had turned into, I paused to catch my breath. There was only one way to go—and that was right down the middle, where double doors stood leading to who knew where.

With heavy breaths I stepped up to the two doors, not really thinking enough about the possibilities to be afraid; and with little effort I shoved open the doors and stepped inside.

This was a very, very large room. I didn't even have to take five steps to realize that. Its setup kind of reminded me of a museum—a historical museum. There were exhibits lined up against the walls, innumerable bookshelves stacked like dominoes stretching as far as I could see; and there were even more paintings and documents framed and hung on the walls. The ceiling was dome-like and seemed to sparkle like the stars in the sky—almost like a planetarium. "What is this room supposed to be?" I murmured as I wandered around. If I weren't in a critical situation, I wouldn't have minded sticking around to sightsee.

I felt like a lab rat as I jogged down the thousands of aisles looking for a familiar head of red. Fifteen minutes passed without me seeing any sign of him. My heart dropped at a drastic rate and my hopes started to dim as I perused through the shelves and exhibits and things to see if I could find him, but to no avail. I had lost him.

My legs felt like jell-o beneath me as I leaned on a bookshelf to rest. I knew it wasn't going to fall over—it was too sturdy. There were millions of places that he could hide in this room. It would take weeks to just get done looking through half of the room, and that didn't include the secret doors that were surely hidden in the walls, floors, and shelves of this place. I slumped to the ground in defeat, holding my head in my hands. I can't believe I lost him.

"Why… why did he…?" I quietly asked myself, positioning my head to lean against the line of books behind me. Subconsciously my fingertips brushed my lips, and a small blush warmed my face. Hikaru, who had been my first crush, had kissed me.

My heart battled with itself as I struggled to identify my feelings. I had already established that I liked Toushirou—but did that mean I didn't like Hikaru anymore? Could I have a thing for both of them at the same time?

I shook my head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. I had to get out of here before I was caught by something, like what always seemed to happen to me.

I rose to my feet and brushed myself off. I had to find the main aisle that led to the door and get out of here. With that determination in mind I took off slowly and quietly. There was a narrow, empty pathway just up ahead and I hoped that if I got there I could know where I was. Right before I stepped out into the open, however, I froze. The row of bookshelves I had been leaning against bordered a small little study area—like a regular library would have for students. It was a wide area with dusty couches, seats, and tables. Some exhibits were set up, and one was placed near the little group of chairs.

Someone cloaked in black was standing in front of the exhibit.

I bit back a gasp. I found Hikaru. My body reacted too fast as I sprung forward into the open, my eyes wide. Before he had time to notice me so he could run away, I jogged towards him—I was careful not to be too aggressive or slow. "Hika—"

In the blink of an eye, the hooded figure reacted and pointed the tip of his sword at me in a defensive poise. I yelped and paused immediately, reflexively holding my hands up like I would to a gun. "P-Please, wait," I pleaded, waving my hands to show them I meant no harm. "'I'm not…"

"You…" he breathed, sheathing his sword. I could hear the surprise in his tone. "What are _you _doing here?"

He pulled back his hood. My hands shot up to my mouth in shock. Tears unexpectedly rimmed my eyes for the umpteenth time since I've been in this place, although I didn't know whether it was from my shock or sudden relief.

"Well?"

With the first smile in a long while I leaped forward, my arms spread open.

"_Toushirou!_"

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay_

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I know you guys don't like cliffhangers. But at least I didn't leave Megumi on the brink of death like the last chapter, eh? And I'm sure none of you were expecting any of what happened here to, well, happen! I hope you all liked it!

Also, don't ask me how to pronounce Yseult. I don't even know. I just really liked the name. It originated from Germany and means 'ruler of ice'. I have lots of plans in store for Megumi, Hikaru, _and _Toushirou, so stay tuned! Also, what's happened to Riana? And who was the person that rendered Megumi unconscious? All these questions and more will be answered in chapters to come! Stick with me!

Now let's give a hand to all my thirty-eight reviewers. Really, guys, you never cease to make me squeal with delight!

**Skylite, Morijun, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, nonday, Courtmaster Rin, ChibiChibiLove, Shira, Ismaren, Ishiko Kitsune, iiTs a Fantasy, Kana090, MoonStarBeam, TsukiKishuko, Sarimia, Akiko Rivers, demogirl193. erina destiny, Mei Fire, WeHoldTheseTruths, Sakiru Yume, English-X-Rose, TheKingJingles, Lillix Vail, Naruto-Lover227, TideDrop, DarkShadowMuffin, vCricket, joster13, Meejin, Neko-Hana, CoteCooties, moogles in paradaisu, UchihaFanGirl, AnImeIzReAsOn4lIfE, Blondetwig, Alexas, creaturekid, Master Bombadil, ih o w a l o n, THANK YOU!**

**I LOVE YOU ALL! REALLY, I DO!**

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	18. Painful Memories

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Oh my goodness, guys. I'm about to keel over and foam to death. Forty-seven reviews. Almost fifty. You guys are too much… much too much. I'm so sorry for the later update! I had to think about what to put in this chapter, and I also had a brief block. But now I've updated, ready to give you chapter eighteen of Furareta! A lot of surprising information has been revealed—but what does it all mean? ;3 I hope you enjoy this chapter—you deserve it and more after how faithfully you all supported.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Well, I'm sure you don't want to hear anymore from me. So go on, read the chapter.

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER E I G H T E E N :  
**_"Painful Memories"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld_

* * *

"I'm not going anywhere, Nagasuki."

"I know that."

"Then let go of me."

A childish pout adorned my face as I scooted myself further into Hitsugaya's side, my body completely and utterly rejecting the thought of releasing him. We had been walking for about fifteen minutes already, and though I had frequently been reassured that he wasn't about to abandon me, staying close to him offered me a very grateful amount of security; even if I left him no personal space. He may be complaining, but hey, I wasn't. Seeing him just after being shocked into delusion was a great relief for me; and I didn't hesitate in embracing the familiar company. Literally. I had managed to tackle the poor guy with one of my mightiest bear hugs, and I haven't let go of him since.

It felt really good.

I grinned and held onto his limp arm tighter. I could almost hear his lips twisting into a grimace. "I told you already; my arms like your arm. No matter how much I try to let go, they won't let me," I replied, sticking out my tongue at him. "Does it bother you that much?"

Gazing up at his fine features, I saw the white-haired boy simply sigh. "I wouldn't mind as much if your weight wasn't threatening my balance," he replied, teal eyes dropping to meet mine.

I frowned. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"I didn't say anything like that, idiot," Toushirou rolled his eyes as he led me around the large labyrinth-like room. "But now that you mention it…"

My elbow abruptly shoved into his ribcage, causing him to bite his words. "Oops, sorry. My arms just have a mind of their own…" I said with fake resentment. I couldn't hide my smirk. "I'm just glad to see that you're alive and well, Toushirou."

"I won't be alive and well if you keep clinging like this." He wearily rubbed the place where I had accidentally shoved my elbow into with a frown. "That actually stung. Did you put spikes on your elbow or something?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, I equip them every day just in case I happen to be locked in a house full of vampires, you know…"

"You're funny."

"Aren't I?"

I laughed and he smirked. It felt so good to be with him again! I felt like I could do anything now—take on some Hollows, face some Bounto, anything, now that I wasn't alone. It was even better since Hitsugaya was with me. We had spent the first ten minutes of our stroll catching up on things that happened during the time of our separation. With more effort than he thought, Toushirou managed to fight off most of the Hollows before discovering a secret staircase (that had been revealed under the floor when he smashed a Hollow into the area) that led him down to this room; and he had lost his cell phone while fighting previously, which explained how Romeo got a hold of it. Although begrudgingly, I was sad to say that I was no longer on the tenth floor; no, now I was down in the second-story basement, which consisted of this whole room and the corridor of cells bordering the outside of it. Needless to say, I was very upset.

Anyway, after quick inspection, Toushirou discovered no Hollows on this floor. Apparently, this place was kept secret for a reason; it contained the whole Bounto history. I wanted to call it a library, but it gave off the feeling more as a museum. There were exhibits lined up everywhere along the walls and innumerable paintings crowded the walls. Bookshelves carrying thousands of books were lined up like dominoes and there was very little walking space. Toushirou found out a lot about the previous Bounto that the Shinigami had fought by just looking through some of the tomes. He didn't discover anything of much importance, but he did find something thought-provoking; and now he was leading me to it. He found it in the far back. It was very spooky, which added another reason as to why I insisted on clinging to him.

Of course, I told him everything that happened to me. He was surprised to hear that Kisuke was here somewhere with his crew, and he had a look of regret when I told him about the Bounto we encountered. Then I told him about how I was on the last floor and got knocked out to wake up down here, and how Hikaru was actually a Bounto, yet he freed me. The only thing I didn't tell him was that he kissed me. I didn't think that would be important…

We were now able to see the back wall over the ten-foot-tall bookcases, and I could make out a very large painting, even bigger than the one upstairs, hanging on it. "Wow. It must've taken forever to paint that," I murmured in awe. It was an abstract painting of crimson, yellow, and orange—it looked like an elaborate explosion. I looked up at Toushirou again. He was just staring ahead, a slightly complex expression on his face; it was as if he was lost in thought, contemplating about something. It was telling me that that something wasn't good. I quirked a brow. "What's wrong?"

He was jerked from whatever he was thinking about, but he didn't look at me. "Can I ask you something?"

I blinked, unprepared for his question. "Um… sure."

"You live with your uncle, right?" he inquired quietly.

That was certainly unexpected. "Yeah. Why?"

Toushirou didn't respond until a few seconds later. His eyes narrowed as more thoughts came to him, but finally he came to a resolve as he continued, "Where are your parents?" My eyes widened, and then narrowed.

That question struck close to home. Immediately my eyes soared to the ground, where they stayed glued for a while. My parents had always been a hard subject for me to talk about. Takuya-oji always told me stories about them since I remembered very little about them, but though I not knowing them shouldn't give me as much pain, it still did. I never fully understood what happened to them, despite how clearly my uncle made it known to me their fates. "They're dead. Why do you ask?" was my quiet response after seconds of reminisces.

I saw Toushirou's eyes flicker to me before gazing ahead again. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to bring out past memories," he said first. His usually authoritative, no-questions-asked tone seemed to soften considerably. "But this may be important. Can you tell me about them?"

I honestly didn't see how information about my parents could help the situation. For a while I gazed hard at the ground, wondering if I should tell him. It wasn't like I had anything amazing to hide. I just didn't feel comfortable talking about this. I had tried so hard just to forget about them, and just when I started feeling better about everything, it was brought up again. You know how that is, right? "I… don't know anything besides what Takuya-oji tells me. I don't even remember what they look like."

"It's all right."

I looked up at him to see his gorgeous teal eyes fixed attentively on me. I sighed. "Our family wasn't anything that stood out. It was just my dad, my mom, and me. They were both well-known scholars who met in college," I started with a common shrug. "Their relationship was a kind of Romeo and Juliet sort of thing. Mom's parents didn't like Dad, so they forbid her from marrying him; and it was the same thing the other way around. In the end, though, they ended up running away to America to get married." Toushirou remained quiet throughout the whole thing, and I smiled as I tried to picture my parents' story in my mind.

"Then they had me. Takuya-oji (my mom's older brother), who always came to visit us at the time, told me that they would always read me adventures stories even when I was a baby who didn't understand a thing. I told you that didn't I?" I murmured with a small laugh. "Life was pretty normal for us. That is, until _that_ happened…" My voice subconsciously trailed off.

"… What happened?" Toushirou asked after seconds of silence.

I inhaled deeply and slowly before replying. "I lied earlier. I do know something… but it's not really that important. Actually, it's the only thing I remember about that day," I started. "I remember it was a cold, rainy winter day. I was about… three or four—maybe five? Anyway, it had been wet and freezing that whole day. They had a convention to go to, so Takuya-oji was over to baby sit me. They were only supposed to be gone for a few hours because we were going to go to an indoor amusement park that had just opened. That was all I could think about. Takuya-oji tried to keep me satisfied by reading me stories and playing games with me, but hey, I was an impatient kid. For the whole time I sat at the window waiting for their car to drive up."

I paused to re-gather my scattered thoughts and memories.

"Finally the time came when they should be home any minute. I was practically leaping off the walls then. I drove Takuya-oji crazy, I remember…" Tears unexpectedly sprouted. "A phone call came. I thought it was my parents just calling to let me know they were almost there, so I snatched the phone. But, instead of my mom or dad's voice, it was some older guy I didn't know. It was a policeman."

Toushirou noticed my crying when the first tear fell. "You don't have to continue," he said quietly. I could tell he wanted to hear the rest though.

"My parents were on their way home. Back in Arizona, we lived in the countryside. Mom loved mountains, so we had a house by a cliff and next to the site of a big group of them; so the road my parents took in and out were rocky and hazardous. It had been raining for that whole day and the day before, so the roads were really slippery and muddy. My dad was driving along the side of a cliff; it was raining really hard and there was a fog, and it made it difficult to see. He didn't see a sharp turn and flew right off the edge into a canyon."

That was why I hated the rain. It was what killed them.

For the first time I pulled away from Hitsugaya and wearily wiped at my tears, trying to calm myself before I ended up breaking down. I didn't need Toushirou to see me like that again. "After that, Takuya-oji adopted me and moved to Japan when I turned eleven. Then we adopted Metsuki, and lived life normally until now," I finished. "I always try hard to forget about my parents. That sounds mean, but whenever I remember them I always get so depressed. Since then I had slowly been getting more and more successful until I completely forgot about how they looked or sounded. Takuya-oji did say that I look exactly like Mom though…"

"I'm sorry." Toushirou gazed ahead with a small frown.

"Don't worry about it," I perked, despite my now beaten mood. "Why did you think it's important?"

We finally came to the back of the room. I didn't notice how much ground we had covered during my story. There was a wider space here that offered rest and study. Exhibits still lined the back wall and that humongous painting hung ominously over it. I stood there at the opening to the area with my mouth agape. Toushirou went on ahead to the exhibits. After a few seconds to catch my breath, I followed and stood next to him. "What's this?"

It looked like a line of newspapers. … No, it _was _a line of newspapers. They dated back to forever ago—maybe about a hundred years?—and the most recent one I could see dated to a little over a decade ago. I thought it was just a jumble of random news, until I read some. They were all related—linked by the same subject. My eyes widened, unable to comprehend what I saw. "Toushirou…" I murmured, leaving his side and, starting from an end, eying each paper. "What is this…?"

He didn't move from his spot. "A collection," he responded. "Do you recognize the person in each of the pictures?"

Unfortunately, I did.

"They're pictures of… me."

It was true. In each and every one of these news articles there were pictures of the same girl over and over again—and that girl was me. Either that or I had a twin I didn't know about. "What in the world…" I breathed. "I don't even remember doing any of the things I'm doing in the pictures. Scholarships, college acceptations, honors—I wasn't a part of any of this!" My body started shaking. An onslaught of questions plagued my spinning mind.

"It's not you," Toushirou stated quietly. "It's Kyouwa."

I froze and turned sharply to him. "That name," I gasped. "How… how do you know that name?"

"Each of the papers mentioned it." His half-lidded eyes turned to me. "Apparently you know her."

"Kyouwa… Kyouwa Akina—my mom," I stammered, my body trembling involuntarily. "Kyouwa was her maiden name before she married Nagasuki Tatsuya, my dad."

Toushirou didn't look surprised. "The spitting image of your mother, huh…"

I grabbed onto the exhibits for support. My knees were giving under me. "What's going on?" I murmured. "Why are there articles of Mom here?!"

"My, my, looks like my 'secret' archive isn't so secret anymore." It was an unfamiliar voice.

I spun almost too quickly.

There in the opening to the little open area stood a man, looking around his early-mid twenties. He stood well over six feet and had shaggy brown hair and pale skin. His features were sharp and fine, and his build was a careful mixture of lean and built. The expression in his bright, liquid-like golden eyes made him look intelligent—maybe too intelligent—as they fixed intently on me. I've never met him before, I knew, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that I'd seen him somewhere before…

"Hmm, you've grown to become quite the beauty, Megumi-chan. Exactly like your mother," he noted with a satisfied grin that twisted my insides.

I was thankful when Toushirou's back suddenly blocked my vision.

"Ah, a Shinigami," the man exclaimed, and spread his arms open. "Welcome to my humble abode, Shinigami-san. I had mistaken you for one of us with that cloak on."

Now that he mentioned it, so did I. Toushirou, apparently, was wearing the Bounto uniform to blend into the dark because of his blinding natural color of white. But this guy wasn't wearing it; he was classily dressed in a neat white shirt, vest, slacks, and bowtie. If he didn't suddenly appear out of nowhere in a place like this, I would've found him charming.

"I'm pleased that I finally get to meet you, Megumi-chan," he continued. "But I didn't expect you to be with a Shinigami. Quite the most forbidden of relations, yes? Remarkable—truly like your mother. Always searching for trouble…"

"Who are you?" Toushirou demanded. His poise was cautious and tense. This man was strong. I couldn't tell Toushirou's reiatsu over my own, but even I could feel the dangerous sensation emitting from that man, and it both awed and terrified me.

"Oh, excuse my ill manners." Bowing respectably, he said with pride, "Daijiro Yasuo, leader of the Bounto." When he lifted back up, Yasuo's brilliant eyes studied Toushirou carefully. "You're packing a very large bundle of powerful spiritual pressure, young man. You must be a captain." With a smirk he added, "You've led me to a jackpot tonight, Gina-chan."

We flinched. Well, at least I did. Yasuo stepped to the side to reveal a meek Gina, her hair in her face as she gazed to the floor. My countenance fell and I stepped forward. "Gina?"

"Stop." Toushirou's authoritative voice broke into me and I immediately paused. "You've been trying to fool us this entire time, haven't you, Takara?"

"I…" The girl bit her lip and she looked up at us. "I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-san, Megumi-san… I never intended to hurt you." At this, her eyes were focused on my confused face.

My mind was swirling even more than it was before. Not only was my mom somehow involved in this insane charade, but now I've found out that Gina had betrayed us. She had been the one to lead us down here to discover the Bounto curse, and on purpose. And, judging by how she stared regretfully at me, I realized that she had been the one who knocked me out and dragged me down here. "Gina, why…?" I whispered.

"I had no choice," Gina whimpered quietly.

"Don't you hate it when that happens?" Yasuo asked. "You think you've met someone you can trust, only to find that they betray you in the end. Life is cruel, eh?" His sparkling eyes fell on us and a small sadistic smirk curled onto his lips.

"What is your purpose?" Toushirou asked, ignoring the intimidation of his features.

"Why, to take back my cure, of course," Yasuo responded as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "You've made it to the end. Surely you have the answer to our curse?"

"Love," I murmured without even thinking. "Is it love?"

He stared at me before barking a laugh.

"Logical response," he commented, nodding thoughtfully. "But not just any love, my dear; no, I require a very specific kind of love—a love that only a specific person with specific blood can give." He licked his lips, his eyes emitting a mysterious glow. "Do you know what kind of love that is?"

Gulping, I shook my head.

"_Yours._"

"Nagasuki!"

Before I could even register his response Toushirou moved, grabbing me and flash-stepping to a farther location just in time to evade a mighty explosion where I had just been standing. His sweet scent filled my senses and the ground met my feet again. My nails dug into his clothes as I shook violently, my eyes wide. He had just tried to kill me. My mind had drawn a complete blank; I couldn't understand anything at the moment. Noticing this, Toushirou quickly slouched out of his cloak and wrapped it around me. "Get back," he warned, gently seizing my arms and pushing me back. When I looked up at him, his back—now a brilliant white with his haori—once again faced me.

"What are you planning? How did you survive?!" Toushirou impatiently inquired, unsheathing his zanpakutou and holding it in an offensive stance in front of him. "We destroyed the Bounto months ago!"

"You mean Kariya and his band?" Yasuo scoffed, a kind of fiery glow surrounding him. His eyes were no longer the hypnotizing gold, but were a furious crimson. He stood calmly, but the wild expression on his face said otherwise. "Their uprising was too soon—they were not ready. It was their foolish mistake that led to their demise!" His hand glowed.

"Nagasuki, move, now!"

Abruptly I was shoved to the side just as another explosion erupted between Toushirou and me. He leaped the opposite direction as to where he pushed me, and I almost lost my balance if Gina didn't steady me. I gazed at her in surprise. "Gina…"

"We can't stay here, Megumi-san," she responded sadly.

"Souten ni Zase, Hyourinmaru!"

I felt an icy chill and I looked up to see Toushirou encircled by a heavenly body of ice—the dragon. With glowing eyes the Shinigami turned to me. "Get away from here, Nagasuki. Now!"

I was speechless. Fire ignited the ancient bookshelves from the explosions, and now ice froze half of the room; everything was happening too fast for me to catch up. I felt a tug on my arm, and my body lifelessly trotted away from the battle scene. Gina clutched my hand tightly as she led me through the labyrinth, and I only stared at her as if I were an alien to this world.

But wait. Gina had betrayed us.

My thoughts filed back to me quickly as I skidded to a halt in our run, yanking my hand back with wide, confused eyes. Gina didn't turn, but she paused as well. "Why, Gina?" I asked again, catching my breath. I could hear explosions behind us, but it wasn't bothering me right now. "Why did you trick us? I thought you wanted to help!"

"I do!" she screamed back, spinning around. She had led me farther away from the battle than I thought; we were almost at the door we came through to get in here. "I do, I really do!" she emphasized, tears streaming down her face. She had her hand behind her back. "But I can't! If I don't, then they'll…!"

My eyes softened. "Gina—" She sprung. I was too surprised at her movement to react, and I was shoved to the ground. She pinned me to the ground, a shaking hand slammed to the ground beside my head; her knees straddled my hips, and she had her hidden hand raised high above her. My eyes widened when I saw it was a knife.

"I have to do this… they need your blood," she murmured, more to herself than to me. The weapon in her hand was shaking fervently, her mind and body hesitant. "If I don't give it to them, they'll kill _us_…"

I stared at her in confusion. Kill who? I was too shocked to say anything, and my eyes were focused on the dangerous sharp point of the knife that was about to stab into me. "Gina, don't do this..."

She shook her head. Gina didn't need anymore voices in her mind. "I'm sorry, Megumi-san… I really am…" she whimpered between sobs. She raised her hand to its highest, and after a few seconds, the knife descended on me. I shut my eyes.

"Now, now, no need for violence."

I opened my eyes at the familiar voice. Gazing up, I saw Gina's wrist that was holding the knife was grabbed. She, too, stared up at the intruder with lost eyes. "Pretty young girls like you don't need blood on your hands."

I was speechless for a few seconds. "Kisuke…"

The candy shop owner winked at me as Jinta came from behind him to drag Gina off me. Ururu helped me to my feet. "Tessai's working on getting rid of the barrier that the Bounto have created around this building," he said. Inclining to my level, his large hand fell on my head and he smiled. "Are you all right, Megumi?"

"Ururu went crazy when she couldn't find you after the fight, idiot," Jinta said from the side, smashing the knife Gina held with his bat.

Ururu was next to me. "I thought that was you though, Jinta-kun," she murmured innocently, despite the huge cannon on her back.

"Shut up, cockroach-bangs!"

"You must have had a traumatizing experience," Kisuke said. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner."

I gulped. "Kisuke… I thought you were fighting Romeo?"

"I was," he responded, lifting up. "He was obviously out powered, so he fled. Jinta and Ururu then reported that you had disappeared."

I hung my head. "I'm sorry… I've been such a bother to you guys."

"It's what we live for, Megumi," Kisuke reassured me, both of his hands on my shoulders. "After all, your frequent purchases keep my shop running! I owe you."

I wearily smiled. "Thanks."

The blonde man returned the grin and stood to full attention, eyes fixed on the eerie explosions from the back of the room. "So you've reunited with your knight, correct?" he asked casually.

Despite the situation, I still blushed. "Toushirou's not—"

"He's fighting him, right? Their leader." Kisuke looked down to me, all business now. "You know then? About the exhibits in the back."

So he knew, too—about the collection of articles of my mom. "Yeah." I didn't bother to ask him how he knew—for some reason, Kisuke knew everything. "I'm so confused…" Besides Takuya-oji, of course, Toushirou and Kisuke were the only people I've told about my parents.

"I agree," Kisuke said as he gently led me to Jinta and Ururu, along with a downtrodden and lost Gina slumped on the ground. "Jinta, Ururu, take her to Tessai."

Ururu grabbed my hand. "What about this one?" Jinta asked, pointing his bat to Gina.

I paused to look at her. She stared at me sorrowfully, regretfully, ashamed. "… Can we bring her with us?" I asked, surprising them. "I… want to ask her some things. Please?" I had to ask her a lot of things.

Kisuke's eyes were on me as I stared at the fallen girl. "… Do as you wish," he responded.

Jinta turned to the shop owner, surprised. "But didn't she just try to kill her?!"

"She doesn't have a weapon anymore. She's harmless. Even if she did have something, she stands no chance against an overgrown iron bat and an even more overgrown bazooka," Urahara shrugged. "Just keep an eye on her."

My hand extended to her. "Come on. We won't hurt you."

Gina stared at me pathetically, tears staining her face. She had been staring at her hands in unbelief. "Megumi-san," she murmured. She shakily took my hand. "Why…"

I smiled.

"What about you?" Ururu asked, referring to Kisuke.

"I'm going to help the little captain, of course," he responded, grinning and tapping his cane on the ground. "Get going, now."

Pulling Gina to her feet, I glanced over my shoulder at Urahara as his two helpers led us away. "Thank you, Kisuke."

He modestly waved me off until our group of four disappeared behind the door.

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_Ending Theme__: "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay_

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**A/N:** Well? What did you think? A confusing and thrilling chapter, I know, but at least I didn't leave you with (much) of a cliffhanger. Hopefully you all enjoyed it! All questions pertaining to the unveiling plot will be answered in due time, I promise!

Now what will happen now that all that has happened? Will our group of four make it outside? Will Kisuke and Toushirou fare well against Yasuo? Why did Gina try to kill Megumi? And how is her mother related in all of this? And the big question: where in the world is Matsumoto?! Stay tuned and review to find out!

AND NOW, TO ALL MY LOVELY REVIEWERS:

**MangoMandarin10, lillix Vail, Skylite, IMakeKiddiesCry, aminea88, DarkShadowMuffin, nonday, MoonStarBeam, TsukiKishuko, moogle in paradaisu, AnImeIzReAsOn4lIfE, erina destiny, ChibiChibiLove, Shira Ismaren, CoteCooties, Akiko Rivers, xxxkelxxx, Mei Fire, Sakiru Yume, demogirl193, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, JustAFigmentOfYourImagination, Snow Wing, HitsugayaxOCIsBest, BlondeTwig, TheKingJingles, Naruto-Lover227, ih o w a l o n, joster13, English-X-Rose, iiTs a Fantasy, TideDrop, CourtmasterRin, Anonymous, Yorukirin, Miss Tsuki-chan, Shanni-chan, RyuseiStreamGirl, Feather's Shadow, shyper-ness, Kaori, Tsu, ShinigamiNinja, xxSHiNJiRU, Satan Morroc, Rin, ai-bleach, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**45 Reviews is a dream come true! Thank you, and please keep sending them in!**

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	19. Happy Reunion, Sad Separation

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Oh wow. I haven't updated in so long! I'm so sorry everyone! I honestly didn't abandon this story. I was trying to figure out what I should do and how I should do it; and it resulted in a really heavy block. I'm so sorry for the late update! I hope you're all still with me!

And allow me to scream.

AAAAH!

57 REVIEWS! OH MY SOUL!

-faints-

I love you all. NOW READ. Because you all deserve it.

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**. F U R A R E T A .  
**_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

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**�CHAPTER N I N E T E E N :  
**_"Happy Reunion, Sad Separation"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld_

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I figured I'd be used to this by now. The running for my life part, that is. After my nearly third (including this time) encounter with death, one would think that this had become a routine; but oh, it was anything _but_. There was absolutely _nothing_ routine about running for your life. That shouldn't even be a commonplace thing in the life of a fourteen-year-old, much less a middle school girl who was using up every ounce of her energy trying to, rather, pass Geometry. I suppose life came in different wrappings for every individual, but I couldn't decide if my life came as a wrapped time bomb, waiting to explode in my face at its climax.

Well, if it _was_ a time bomb, I reckon it was bound to set off very soon.

It appears that, after running around this cellar for almost fifteen minutes, this floor was like a lab rat's maze. The cells that lined the outside of the Bounto's history room formed an intricate maze that wound up right where it started. Every turn and corner looked the same. I thought that the dungeon cells would help us out, but even they looked identical; there was nothing occupying any of them. What a waste of space—the construction workers had been shammed.

Jinta and Ururu looked confused, too. Jinta was our guide, and was currently trying to make out our exact location (which I had concluded was impossible), and Ururu was behind Gina and me to make sure neither of us lagged. I'm thankful for that—if she weren't there, I'd probably be long gone by now. These two were amazing runners; they'd dominate most track stars at school!

I was started to get anxious. No, anxious wasn't the word—jittery? Well, if it had to do with fear to their extreme, that's what I was. Not that I hadn't been afraid the entire time; it was just the fact that we were lost in an overlapping labyrinth that scared me. Considering they lived here, the Bounto could very well catch up to us; heck, we may even be on a security camera or something! Not like they needed security anyway…

The silent air was smothering, suffocating; I was having trouble breathing, and it wasn't just because I was sprinting at ten miles and hour. Gina's fierce grip on my trembling hand was the only thing keeping me from keeling over out of exhaustion. I had to get her out of here before I did anything else. "Jinta!" I yelled. "Are we almost there!" I figured after half an hour we'd be at least halfway through.

The silence that drifted between my question and his answer was distressing. "Um," he said awkwardly, "Yeah!"

My eyes narrowed. We were doomed.

"You got us lost!"

"_You_ try navigating through his hole!"

"I thought you were going back the way you came!"

"I am—err, was…"

I palmed my face. "Great. I guess I really _should_ have written my will…"

"We're not gonna die, moron," Jinta balked. "Just a few more turns and things will start looking a little… different…"

"Oh, that was convincing," I murmured sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. His statement proved false as we turned into another identical hallway. "So much for that!"

I saw a vein pop in his neck. "Just shut up and let me concentrate!"

With another roll of my eyes I did just that, since I didn't have enough energy to argue back. What was the point of us getting even more lost than we were? We might as well just stop right now and wait for some lingering Hollows to come and make lunch out of us! And maybe if we find a nice one, it can tell us how to get out of here! Pssh, yeah, and Toushirou's butt-ugly… this was impossible. I was so subdued I was getting cranky. Crankiness and I just don't mix!

We had very few encounters on the way out. Since this was the very last floor of the building, there were undoubtedly going to be some Hollows wandering around; I was just relieved that there weren't hordes of them. At least, not all at once. Usually Gina and I would sit in a corner while Jinta and Ururu beat the snot out of them. Every time, I watched them with awe; they were both amazing. It was hard to believe that I didn't notice anything about them before; Metsuki and I have visited their shop so many times before that I'd expect myself to notice something off.

Ironic how I never unraveled this whole new side to reality before I met Hitsugaya Toushirou.

The run was long, but eventually we made it somewhere. Jinta managed to guess correctly and got us to some wider corridor. It looked no different from the rest, save for a gigantic hole in the ceiling. I stared at it blankly, and then to Ururu. I had a hypothesis about who the culprit might be.

"This is it," Jinta sighed in relief, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't think it was this far!"

"Wait… so how exactly are we getting out of here?" I asked.

"This hole leads to the basement above us. We find a way to get to the first floor and get out the way we came in: through the front door. It was locked before, but I think Tessai managed to get it open…"

I gulped again. Good old Tessai.

Jinta leaped effortlessly to the top. "C'mon, let's hurry."

I stared at him dumbly. "I'm not Spiderman," I stated, my eyes narrowed. "I can't climb walls."

Ururu came up from behind me and silently grabbed my waist. I yelped at the sudden movement, but it turned into a scream as I was suddenly tossed into the air like a rag doll. I clung to the edge of the hole, a thin layer of perspiration lining my brow. Gina was thrown up after me as Jinta pulled me to my feet, and Ururu leaped up like Jinta did after us. "Well," I gasped, clutching my heart, "That was convenient."

I recognized this floor instantly, despite the consuming darkness. It had the same drafty feel, the same ominous presence of a thousand wandering souls; it frightened me. With Toushirou I felt secure, but now that he wasn't here, I was unbelievingly paranoid. I stuck close to the other three as we tried to gain our bearings, and Jinta once again had to guess about which way to go. It was dark all around, save for a path of light—candles—to our side. I had gotten here through some trap door that Gina probably triggered; and behind the painting there was that hallway of unused rooms, which one of them housed a handy elevator. If it had been brought back down, we could take that to the first floor…

I relayed this plan to Gina, who seemed to approve of it. Soon we had our group following a thin line of familiar candles. I was almost expecting the mangy cat Hollow to attack again. "By the way, Jinta…"

He was in a better mood now since he didn't have to keep guessing our escape route. "What?"

"About Kisuke…" I murmured, curious. I had been wondering about what he was. He had a zanpakutou, Benihime—but he wasn't wearing the garb that Toushirou was. "What is he? Is he a Shinigami?"

"Ex-Shinigami," he responded, his humongous bat bouncing on his shoulder. "He was exiled 'cause he got in trouble, so he lives in Karakura."

"Exiled?" I repeated, shocked. "What'd he do?"

"You should ask him," Jinta yawned. "I think he'd tell you."

We finally came to the painting. I saw it just yesterday, but now that I'm looking at it again, it feels like I hadn't seen it in a long time. I stood staring at it blankly while Gina found the hidden rotating door. There was something about it that seemed… different… or, rather, stood out to me. My finger tapped thoughtfully on my chin as I tried to pinpoint exactly what it was. It was the four-paneled story, same as before. It had the portraits of the two men… and then that one distorted picture before the big familiar portrait on the first floor. Something looked different. It was as if I should notice something, but I didn't know what…

"Hey, slowpoke, hurry up!"

Jinta's voice protruded my thoughts and I blinked. I knew why the portraits were different now. My jaw hung open for a few seconds, and I then chased after the leaving group. "What took you?" Jinta asked as I flung myself in the hidden room. "You looked like you just saw a ghost."

"Oh, it's nothing," I smiled sheepishly waving my hands for effect. He shrugged and followed after Gina, who knew this place better than anyone. I made a move to follow them and glanced back over my shoulder; I'd have to tell Toushirou about what I discovered. I bounded after them.

It took shorter than usual to find that one room; probably because we weren't wandering around blind. Gina had snagged a candle from the other room so we wouldn't trip over anything. I'm glad to say that the elevator was there, waiting for us. I guess it got here when Gina had to get to the second basement. It was a tight fit, but we all managed to squeeze in with or without discomfort.

"Get your fat butt out of my face," Jinta sneered from the corner.

I growled, tempted to indent him into the gate. "You can deal for five minutes!" I glanced to Ururu and Gina, who both looked content in their separate corners. I'm glad they weren't noisy and bratty, unlike some people…

Being on the first floor again reminded me of the first time I stepped foot into this insane house. It looked a step above uncivilized, and you actually didn't need a candle to see where you were going. "Yasuo might have called for security, so stay on your guard. There's at least one other Bounto here," Jinta warned, speaking of Romeo. I didn't know where the other Bounto would be rather than their home, especially if it was opening after three years. Knowing this, I pulled Gina and myself closer to the two fighters of the group. 

I guess we had to watch out for Hikaru too… but would he really hurt us? I couldn't imagine him causing harm to anyone. Then again, I couldn't imagine him being a reiatsu-sucking vampire, either… I shook my head. There was still that tinge of sadness and confusion about him. He was a Bounto, but he didn't harm me… rather, he freed me from that prison so I could escape. Whose side was he on? And Riana—was she a Bounto, too? I didn't know what to think anymore. I want so badly to meet one of them, ask them what was going on… but I couldn't. I didn't know where any of them were. Now that I thought about it, their father co-owned this thing… does that mean he was one too?

"What's wrong?" Gina's gentle voice prodded me out of my chain of painful thinking.

"It's nothing," I smiled back at her. "How are you?"

"… Good," she responded quietly, her voice drifting off. She looked like she wanted to say more, but didn't. I decided not to press her.

"Jinta, do you know the way out?" I asked our leader. We were in an area I didn't recognize; the elevator left us off in a random room alongside hundreds of other doors. We could very well be right next to the exit, or the farthest away from it. It was so hard to trust your senses here. "This place isn't familiar at all."

"Tell me about it," Jinta grumbled. "I'm trying to pick out Tessai's reiatsu, but it ain't working. How about you, Ururu?"

"Close," she responded mutely, wide, empty eyes focused on something we couldn't see. "Three of them."

I panicked. "Hollows?"

"No," she murmured robotically, still not turning. "Two others with Tessai-kun."

"Who?" Jinta demanded.

"It's unfamiliar. I believe them to be on our side."

"They must be Shinigami then," the boy responded with a thoughtful expression. "It's not Ichigo, Rukia, or the free-loader, since she's familiar with them."

Three new people. Were they Shinigami too? I've never heard of Ichigo or Rukia from Toushirou—and I didn't know who 'free-loader' referred to. I still had a lot to learn, and I wondered if my brain was up for the task. After a few minutes of small talk, we eventually decided to trust Ururu's instincts to lead us to Tessai, wherever he might be. It seemed sort of unwise as we wandered around for a good eleven minutes in silence, but eventually the reiatsu was so strong that I could feel it burning against my skin like desert heat. It reminded me of Yasuo and his intimidating energy; I wonder if Toushirou and Kisuke were all right? I really hope so. He seemed really strong, but surely two Shinigami together would overpower him…

"Hey Gina," I murmured, casting a glance to my side. "Can I ask you something?"

She blinked. "Sure."

"What you said back there, when you were about to…" I trailed off. She understood what I meant. "What did you mean by 'us'?"

This caught Jinta's attention, at least, and he peeked back at us at the corner of his eye. Gina stared at me blankly before casting her gaze to the ground. She fiddled with her fingers nervously. "Um… about that…" she started hesitantly. "I… I wanted to ask a favor of you, but I couldn't. Not after I almost…" She stumbled on her words, flushing with shame and embarrassment.

"What is it?" I asked gently, gazing at her. I wasn't mad at her, despite how she tried to stab me to death. She had a reason, and she probably had a good one. Gina was too nice and sweet to bring herself to kill anyone. 

Her eyes widened at me in surprise. "I… but…" she stumbled again, and took a deep breath. "I was… talking about a friend of mine. The Bounto said that they'd kill us if I didn't kill you, so I…"

"Aaah, that's it," I murmured, holding a hand to my chest. So she wasn't doing it out of malice.

"I… I wanted to ask if you would save her, but…"

"Where is she?" I asked.

"I… I don't know," Gina admitted, gazing down. "I lost her after finding her here. I don't know if she's still alive, but the Bounto said they'd keep her alive as long as I…"

"She's still alive?" Jinta piped, gazing back at us. Ururu was ahead, her eyes locked on reiatsu bundles. He scoffed and looked away a few seconds later. "Then don't worry about it. We're bound to run into her sooner or later."

"How do you know?" I retorted. "If you hadn't noticed, we're locked in a ten—twelve if you include the basements—story building. What're the odds of finding her on the first floor when she may as well be on the tenth?"

"One to ten," Ururu answered robotically. "She wasn't in the basements."

"One to ten," I repeated with a roll of my eyes. "We need more than a ten percent chance!"

"What do you suggest we do then?" Jinta challenged, glaring at me. "The entrance is probably no more than five minutes away. You want to go scavenging for her?"

I pouted at him, my forehead creasing. He had a point. I glanced to Gina in my peripheral vision to see her staring downcast at the ground. "There has to be something we can do though…"

Suddenly he paused, eyes narrowed in alert. Naturally, everyone else stopped as well. "What now?" I asked.

"Shh," Jinta shushed me, peering around quietly. "Someone's coming."

That made me anxious. I subconsciously inched closer to the two fighters, all the while trying to be sensitive to my surroundings. "Some_one_ or some_thing_?"

"Some_one_," Jinta responded with a curious edge. "I don't recognize it. Maybe a Bounto…"

I gulped. Could it be Hikaru? "Is it coming _here_?"

"Yeah. It's getting closer, and its reiatsu is high…"

I gulped again. "Then what're we standing here for?"

"I'm trying to figure out whether it's good or bad."

"What good has happened to us thus far?" Being attacked by random Hollows, losing our way in this stupid labyrinth; was there any hope of anything fortunate happening?

"Shinigami," Ururu murmured silently, eyes glaring straight ahead.

Just then a blur whizzed around the corner in front of us, and I saw a flash of orange and black. It took me a moment to realize what it was, even if it was standing just feet in front of us, big blue eyes wide. When it attacked me, however, I realized quickly that it wasn't an enemy. I coughed and sputtered as I was yanked out of Gina's grasp and into the crushing embrace of Rangiku.

"R-Rangiku!" I croaked, trying to sound happy despite having the oxygen squished out of my lungs. "You're here…!"

"Oh, Megumi! I thought I'd never find you! When the Bounto put that stupid barrier up, I was sure you two were in trouble!" the Shinigami cried, swinging me around like I was a doll. My head racked from side to side abruptly, and I felt myself get whiplash. "We were lucky that Tessai was there! Without him, the barrier would still be up! Urahara didn't tell me he was so skilled at kido!" She set me down, hands clamped over my shoulders, and stared me right in the eye. I was sure I was tearing up at the reunion. "Are you hurt anywhere, besides mentally?" she asked carefully, smiling.

I shook my head and threw myself at her again. "No, I'm fine. I'm so glad you're here! I should've called you—I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," she laughed, patting me. "The dumb barrier blocked any sort of communication from outside the mansion. So you wouldn't have been able to contact me anyway! By the way, where's taichou?"

"Fighting a Bounto," I said, my eyes flickering to the ground. "He's with Kisuke, so I think he's doing well. I hope, anyway." I pouted. Toushirou better be in one piece, or I won't be very happy. Rangiku giggled, patting my head. I blinked up at her. "What?" She simply winked.

"Okay, okay, she's here. Yay. Now let's get out of here!" Jinta drawled, his fists on his hips. He stared at us. "You women and your stupid enthusiasm. Is Tessai with you?"

"Nope, he's trying to keep the barrier open. He and Hinamori-chan managed to open wide enough for me to fit through to find you," Rangiku replied. I cocked my head at her curiously. Hinamori? Who was that? "And now that I've found you, Megumi-chan, I can lead you to the outside and then I'll go help out taichou."

I sighed. The outside world—it sounded like paradise. It's only been a day or so, but it felt like years since I've seen the sun. I clung to her arm like she was my mom. "Sounds like heaven," I murmured dreamily. "Is it far?"

"Not with my flash step," Rangiku winked. Her eyes glanced to Gina. "Who's that?"

"Gina," I said, smiling at her. She was staring, lost, at the new addition to our team. "She's the one who was captured by the Bounto."

"Oh, you poor thing," Rangiku frowned. Her eyes flickered down briefly, and I felt her stiffen. "Why hasn't taichou crossed her over yet?"

"I… still have something to do first," Gina replied quietly. "I… I need to help my friend."

"Your friend?" she repeated. "There's more here? How many hostages?"

She shook her head. "It's just her and me."

"Is it another soul?"

Her eyes fell. "Yes."

"I'll help out then, I guess," Rangiku murmured, arms crossing. "She shouldn't that hard to find… but I'll need to send you over first." Her eyes hardened slightly. "Your chain's disintegrating pretty fast. If it completely disappears, you'll turn into a Hollow."

For the first time since my very first encounter with Gina, I noticed the thick chain dangling from her heart. It was a lot shorter than I remembered. "No," she countered. "I want to meet her first. I have to tell her something."

"I don't want you eating me along the way," Rangiku shook her head, brandishing her zanpakutou. Now that I thought about it, I'd never seen her in her Shinigami uniform before. "It's best if I just send you over now."

"Wait—!"

Jinta yelled.

"Watch out!"

It all happened quickly then.

We were too caught up in the moment to notice it; but how such a powerful thing can slip by unnoticed, though, I didn't know. It came from the rear of our group, behind us and facing Gina—in the direction Rangiku came from. When Ururu realized it, it had already attacked. It caught Jinta and Ururu by surprise and they were both frozen to their spots—quite literally—by ice. Rangiku spun around just in time to yank me behind her, sending me crashing into Gina; and she was flung to the side by thick, dripping icicles that pinned her to the wall.

Gina steadied me, shaking at the sudden intrusion. I stared at the hallway that now looked like an ice cavern, with a big and burly wolf the color of ice standing, teeth bared, in the center. I knew immediately what it was, and who was behind this.

"Hikaru," I murmured, stepping back.

The taller boy trailed after Yseult, cobalt eyes narrowed and emotionless towards me. His unruly maroon hair glided around his pale, beautiful features. He paced forward, without hesitation, with the gorgeous animal trailing behind him. I gulped. "What do you want? What're you doing here?" I asked, trying to sound bold. I was failing pathetically. 

He didn't respond, naturally, and stood inches away from me. I stared up at him, trying to control the furious beating of my heart.

"Get away from her!" Rangiku shouted, struggling against the ice. "Run, Megumi-chan!"

Jinta growled and tried to free himself; his legs were frozen to the ground, and a pillar of ice dangled from the walls and ceiling to captivated his arms. Ururu was in the same situation, although she wasn't struggling. She just stared at us, eyes wide. Hikaru stared at me for a few seconds before focusing on the girl behind me. "You want to see her, right?" he asked, his tone piercing and cold. "Why haven't you killed her?" His eyes flickered to me. "Have you forgotten Yasuo's instructions?"

"I can't do it," she whispered. "I'll die with her."

My head whipped back to face her. "What!"

"Useless," Hikaru murmured, eyes narrowing even more. "You'd choose death over this girl's life?"

"We're both dead anyway," Gina replied. "It isn't fair to kill the living in order to save what's already gone."

"Some are more dead than others."

I glanced back at Hikaru. He didn't lose eye contact with Gina. Rangiku was watching us warily, slowly, picking at the ice that bonded her to the wall. Little chips clinked to the ground. "What do you mean?" I asked. "More dead?"

Gina seemed to know what he was talking about. She pulled her hand free from mine and stepped back several feet. Her eyes were wide, horrified, tormented. "You… you can't mean…"

Hikaru stared at her solemnly. "She's _dead_."

"Gina?"

"No… no, no, no!" she screamed, holding her head. "Why! You said you wouldn't kill her—"

"Unless you killed_ her_," he finished, referring to me. "You failed. She's gone. You won't find her… unless you plan to find out which Hollow ate her."

"What!" I exclaimed, grabbing his shirt. Yseult growled menacingly behind him. "Hikaru, how could you!"

He never looked at me. "You let her die, Gina. Her death was your fault."

"Megumi…" I heard Rangiku's quiet voice. "Megumi! Get out of here, now!" It was ten pitches higher than her whisper. I stared at her, lost, before turning back to Gina. Her chain was on the verge of disappearing.

She was going to mutate.

"Gina! Gina, no!" I cried in vain, releasing Hikaru and spinning to her.

She was grabbing fistfuls of her hair, tears streaming down her face. She collapsed onto her knees, and a dark fog curled around her broken form until I could no longer see her. I stared helplessly at the dense cloud, trying to see through it; Hikaru strode past me.

"It's best if you leave now, Megumi," Hikaru said, his back to me. "I'd deal with you now, but I don't think that would sit well with my boss." He whispered something to his wolf, whose ear perked. Immediately a wall of thick ice slammed from the ceiling to the floor, separating us. I fell back, surprised.

I heard ice shatter and abruptly I was lifted into the arms of Rangiku. I stared up at her mechanically. "Rangiku?"

"There's nothing we can do now," she murmured, holding me with one arm as she equipped her zanpakutou in the other. "Let's get out of here." With one slash, she broke Jinta and Ururu free, and we were running. I glanced over Rangiku's shoulder, staring at the sight; Hikaru stood there motionlessly, watching the scene before him unfold. Gina was turning into a Hollow.

And it was because of me. Again.

I hid my face in her collarbone, shutting my eyes tight; now, all I wanted to do was sleep. Or, rather, wake up. I wished that I was dreaming now, that none of this was happening.

"I'm sorry, Gina."

�

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_Ending Theme__: "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay_

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�

**A/N:** Obviously, no Toushirou in this one. D: I'm sorry. He'll come back in the next one though, for sure! This chapter was a little crappy to me, though. There really wasn't anything exciting about this chapter. It was kind of a let down, huh? But Rangiku's back, and so is… Hinamori? Uh-oh! What's going to happen now? How's Toushirou and Kisuke holding up against Yasuo? What's the deal with Hikaru? Is Riana a Bounto? Will Megumi and company finally make it out of the House of Horrors? The next chapter will wrap it all up! Stay tuned!

And I'll _try_ to update soon. Please stick with me! I love you all! Some of you asked if I was going to have a sequel. To answer your question… you'll have to read the end to find out! I think I'm about halfway done. Maybe about a quarter done. I don't know! It's really up to my imagination!

But it'll be worth it, I promise. Once again, thank you all for your kind words and support. Please keep reading and reviewing! It really helps me out!

Special thanks to (get ready!):

**Shanni-chan, moogle in paradaisu, MoonStarBeam, Kana090, Mei Fire, ShinigamiNinja, Graciela, aminea88, English-X-Rose, Yorukirin, RikuLoverKH2, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, caaro, RyuseiStreamGirl, TideDrop, TheKingJingles, BlondeTwig1990, Lillix Vail, joster13, DarkShadowMuffin, We Hold These Truths, Satan Morroc, StrawberryxXxKisses, Skylite, Sakiru Yume, iiTs a Fantasy, Cote Cooties, erina destiny, ****tHe hiTsuGaYa oBseSsioN 12-20, Miss Tsuki-chan, demogirl193, nonday, Courtmaster Rin, Uchiha Sasha, Hana Ryuuzaki, Momo-Toshiro, Naruto-Lover227, xxlemon, creaturekid, Kaji Mori, Luca4ever, UchihaFanGirl, glamouredFaErIe, NiinaKyo, Gaara's Pyro RACCOON, Tateno Atsukino, NeferNeferi, itachi forever, ih o w a l o n, salaxyooh, EagleBlaze954, Neko-Hana, Michiko75, Aoi Tamashi, Airheaded Evilness, CinnamonStar! THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

That's one HUGE list. And I love it! Thank you guys so much—special love for each of you! Some even recommended this story to others, and that really makes me feel amazing! Thank you so much! I hope you all continue to stick with me!

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	20. Prison to Paradise

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Haha, faster update for all of you. A little more action and a little surprise! Hope everyone had a good Easter! Now enjoy this chapter—it's written in everyone's favorite character's point of view! And a couple special appearances as a plus, because I love you all. Hopefully I got his character right—it was kind of hard for me since this had a way different setting and mood than chapter ten. Anyway, please enjoy—and review! Thanks so much for the last chapter's review, too!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y :  
**_"Prison to Paradise"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld_

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**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU. )**

Tiny ice bits sprinkled around me, falling like crystal rain to the shattered floor. That had been the last petal to my second flower. I was running out of time.

And Daijiro knew it.

The pompous Bounto smirked at my weary profile. Despite all the explosions and flames that danced ceaselessly around him, he wasn't breaking a sweat. No, he didn't even look like he had used any energy. We both hovered above the disaster that this room had become, a devastating victim to our brawl. No more did it have the appearance of a sophisticated library. I spat blood to my side, trying not to flinch. I could feel the burns on my chest and arms slowly scabbing, and it stung insanely when I so much as moved a centimeter. If I had known that Daijiro had a fire-based doll, I wouldn't have tried to fight him. Ice was useless against heat.

"What's the matter, little boy? Tired already?" he sneered smugly. The crimson in his eyes was intensified by the fire. "I expected more from a captain of the Shinigami. What a shame."

Beads of perspiration coursed down my temple. I could feel my last flower slowly melting; my strength began to wane. "What do you plan to do?" I demanded. It was difficult to be bold; my throat was hoarse from inhaling too much smoke. "What's your plot?"

"I don't believe you're in the position to be making demands, boy." The smirk widened just as my hatred grew. A thin whip of fire solidified before him. Hyourinmaru grew wary. "You see, you've already lost. I know everything there is to know about your element; and if you can't top Hikaru, who is the same as you, you definitely don't stand a chance against me."

I spat again. I could barely comprehend his words; the smog was suffocating me. The heat drained me of strength. If we were in an open field, I could think clearer. I held my sleeve to my nose and mouth, which didn't make the situation better. I had to get out of here. If I inhaled much more, I would be down in the long run. Though I'd hate to retreat, it was my only option. I should've let Urahara stay; I told him to leave and memorize the way out of this floor, because my exit had been destroyed a while ago during our fight. He happily obliged; he apparently wasn't a fighter. My scowl deepened.

"Truly is a disappointment," he shook his head mockingly. "How can Megumi-chan expect to rely on such weak bodyguards? The poor girl; she'll be dead in no time." His whip lashed at me, aimed for my legs. I growled and Hyourinmaru dove, countering the blow. I only had half a flower left. I didn't have any way to contact Gotei 13 to see if I could release my limiter, and even if I did, I doubt I had time.

"Why is she important?" I inquired. "Why her? Why her _mother_? How is she connected to you?"

He flared. "_You know nothing_."

Before I could blink, Daijiro flashed, suddenly appearing inches from me. It was similar to a flash step, but different; you could actually see him move as a blur. I didn't have time to react as his curled fist crashed into my abdomen, propelling me into the wall. With a painful cry my wings shattered and I crumpled to the floor, fresh blood mixing with my sweat. My eyes stung. "Not so strong in the flames, are you?" He grabbed my collar and slammed me against the wall. He was right in my face. "You may be the prince of ice, but you're next to nothing when pit against your natural enemy. Isn't that right, boy?"

I said nothing. My vision was hazed, but I tried to focus.

"You honestly want to know?" he growled, the fury emitting from him like air through a vent. "It's all _her_ fault. If she wouldn't have gotten involved, I wouldn't have to suffer. She wouldn't even be dead. The only one suffering would be _him_!" Another slug to my chest. Several ribs cracked.

I coughed up crimson, which splattered onto his nice attire. It hadn't been damaged at all since the beginning. His free hand roughly seized my chin, and he craned my neck to look up at him. "You have powerful eyes," he said. "But not powerful enough. I _will_ get what I want, and _nothing_ will stop me. Megumi-chan's life is my inheritance. I'm free to do with it whatever I will!"

I could blatantly make out the fury. And if I couldn't see it, I could definitely hear and feel it; and that opened up an opportunity for me to get away. If I don't breathe fresh air quickly, I was going to black out. He was furious, and luckily for me, it was a blind fury. That was all I needed: a distraction. He wasn't thinking straight; he wasn't paying attention. The mere mention of Nagasuki got him riled up enough, although I still didn't understand why. Not a word he said made any sort of sense to me, but now wouldn't be the wisest time for me to pursue answers.

"That girl has luck made of iron," I managed to say. "She won't go down easily." It hurt, but I gave him a smug grin. "Not even by your hands, Daijiro."

I honestly thought he was going to erupt. The blood rushed to his face and the veins on his face and head tensed. I was sure that if I didn't have Hyourinmaru soar into him from the side, I would be dead. The grip on me released and I landed on my feet, with intensely disagreed my throbbing limbs. My bankai had long since disintegrated, and I had no strength or water to call it back; so travel on my feet was the only way. I flash stepped towards the door, ignoring the scorching pain, Nagasuki left through. It was much easier to find now that the bookshelves had crumbled.

My lungs seemed to inflate just seconds after diving out of the closed door; the fresh air was an immediate remedy to my body. Daijiro's blood-curling shriek followed after me.

"_Run to her while you can, boy—she won't have much longer anyway! I'll find her again, and then neither of you will be so lucky!_"

I flash stepped until I literally couldn't any longer. I didn't know how far I had traveled, but I was far enough from the room that Daijiro's reiatsu was very dim. Heaving, my shattered body crumpled against the wall and I focused hard on inhaling and exhaling properly. My fractured ribs weren't advocating me, and nor were the innumerable burns lining my arms and chest. Blood spots painted my uniform and dried blood lined my face; I was sure I was more than a mess. I hate to admit it, but I was fortunate I got out of that furnace alive. Daijiro Yasuo rightfully was the leader of the Bounto; his strength was brutal. I'm almost sure that he could rival Yamamoto in power. Fighting him made me realize that we were up against an enemy that required more than a captain-vice-captain team; we needed more. Much more, especially if there were five more of them.

I don't know how long I had been lying there. Usually I healed up quickly, but this was not the case. My body was sensitive to fire. It would be a while before I could even move without stress again. I may have been there for an hour or so, slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

_(Master, how are you feeling?)_

The voice woke me. I really wasn't expecting him to start talking. My frown deepened, and I closed my eyes. _'He was stronger than I took him for,'_ I admitted.

_(I am sorry.) _Hyourinmaru's deep voice was filled with remorse. _(If I had only been stronger…)_

I scoffed. _'It wasn't your fault and you know it. If there was anything that was going to take you down, it would be fire. Unfortunately, Daijiro happened to wield it…'_

His tone softened. _(But your wounds…)_

I shrugged, and instantly regretted it. Pain jolted up and down my back like an electric current. _'I'll heal up eventually. Quit worrying about me, I'm not a child.'_

_(But you are my master. What do you want me to do, laugh?)_

I smirked. _'If that's what it takes to make you feel better.'_

I waited. He didn't talk again. _'Hyourinmaru?'_

_(Someone is coming.)_ My eyes narrowed. I didn't even notice.

I heard the shuffling of feet, and a breeze against my face. Someone knelt beside me.

"Urahara?" I murmured. My vision fogged as I opened my eyes.

Something soft and wet gingerly tapped against a sore on my temple. I howled in pain, immediately jerking from the source. It stung like alcohol. Instantly a cold hand brushed against my cheek, holding me in place. "You'll get an infection if you aren't treated," a gentle voice prodded.

I opened my eyes, trying to focus my vision. They widened when I recognized who it was. "You're…"

"Shh," Minamoto Riana murmured, gazing at my wound. "I need to work fast. Please cooperate with me."

I was in no condition to struggle, so all I could do was watch her work. "Why are you helping me?" I asked, gritting my teeth as the cloth made contact again.

"You'll die otherwise," she whispered. I saw that a small tote was sitting next to her.

"Does it matter?"

"I help people who need help, no matter who they are," she continued. "Please don't talk, Hitsugaya-kun. Save your strength. I'll fix you up as fast as I can."

"Are you a Bounto?" I asked.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," she whispered again, ignoring my question. She proceeded to cautiously wrap a bandage around my head. "Yasuo-sama is a little passionate, a characteristic he shares with his element." She tied the knot and eyed the rest of my body, wincing. "Sometimes he may be a little extreme though…"

"Tell me," I urged. For the first time she looked at me, wide onyx eyes hiding a set of emotions I couldn't recognize. "What is he planning to do?"

Minamoto stared hard at me, a frown curling over her lips. She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, turning back to my wounds. "I want to tell you. Honestly, I do. But… I can't. I'll get in big trouble." She forced herself to grin. "You'll find out soon enough though, with your intelligence. You won't have to wait long, and the answer's simple." Her fingers feathered against my sides, and I flinched. "Those will take a while to heal," she observed, lightly tracing the contours of my ribs. "One, two, three… six broken ribs." She dug into her bag and pulled out a cup and some sort of liquid. "Can you drink?"

I glanced at her skeptically. "What is it?"

"Don't worry, it's just water," she laughed. "I'm just going to add medicinal powder. It should help ease the pain."

She handed me the cup, and after a few seconds of contemplation, I downed it. "It's bitter," I coughed.

"It's organic, straight from the plants," she said absent-mindedly. "There. I've fixed you well enough." She took back her cup and traded it with a pill, which received another wary glance from me. I never did take a liking to medicine, especially ones that were small, round, and green. It was hard for me to understand that that little thing would help heal you. "This restores raw energy. It'll last for about a couple hours. You don't have to take it if you think you can move in your state…"

With a grimace I snagged and swallowed it before I could change my mind. I would need a lot of energy to move, and right now my body wasn't up to providing it. It was crunchy like hard candy, but tasteless. I let it sit in my stomach for a few seconds, not really expecting it to take effect; but amazingly, I could almost feel the power I had wasted come back to me. It was like energy was flowing through my veins rather than blood. I stood, glad to find that my legs weren't resisting. Minamoto had bandaged me up pretty sufficiently, as well; most of the afflictions were bandaged or glazed over with medicine. I moved my arms. They were still sore, but much better than how they were before. Her fifteen-minute session had done me hours of good.

She stood in front of me, clutching her tote in both her hands. I gazed at her for a few seconds. "Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," she smiled meekly, her pale face flushed. "Your friend is nearby. Can you do something for me…?"

"What?"

The grin on her face fell a few degrees in happiness. Her eyes grew cautiously soft. "I need you tell Megumi-chan something."

I read the hesitant look in her expression. "…You're not coming back, are you?" I asked.

She reluctantly shook her head. "Neither is Hikaru. We can't. So please tell her I'm sorry… and goodbye."

"You can't tell her yourself?"

"I'm really not supposed to be here," she said almost sheepishly. "I have to get back before they realize I'm gone. Besides… I couldn't say goodbye to her face to face. At least, not like this…"

It was painful for her, I knew. Her pathetic smile said it all. I nodded once. "All right."

Her face brightened up very slightly. "Thank you," she said, reaching again into her bag. She revealed a small leather pouch. "This has more of those pills. In case you need a little boost, here's some more. Don't tell anyone you got it from me though."

"I don't understand," I shook my head. "Whose side are you on? I'm a Shinigami, an enemy to your leader—and to your brother."

She gently took my hand and placed the pouch on my palm. "It's hard for me," she started, "to live this kind of life. I make friends and I lose friends all because of what we are and the precautions we take. Once we're found out, we go into secrecy for a long time, and I don't get to be around normal people for months. I hate it." She looked at me, a pink tint coloring her cheeks. Was she blushing? "Besides…" Her grip on my hand tightened. "It's been a while since I've felt like this about anyone before. And I like it, Shinigami or not. I couldn't leave you, especially, Hitsugaya-kun, lying here in the state you were in."

I let that sink for a few seconds. I stared at her, shocked, unsure of what to say.

"The next time we meet, I'll have to be your enemy," she said sadly. "So… I'm sorry to you, too." Her face leaned into mine and her lips lightly pecked my cheek. She pulled back and stared at me somberly for a few seconds before grabbing her bag and scuttling away. I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything. I just watched her leave.

After a few moments I pocketed the pouch and tested out my ankles. They felt fine enough—good enough for a few flash steps. These pills were outstanding; maybe I would have Unohana see what they were made of. _'Amazing,'_ I thought.

_(That girl was different from the man.)_

I nodded and was encouraged by the fact that nothing was sore when I did so. _'Definitely.'_

_(She is very bold, as well.) _I paused in a tentative stretch when I could hear his dragon snout curling into a mischievous grin. _(I thought for sure she was going to be slaughtered after she kissed you.)_

'_She saved me hours of grief—I owe her the favor,_' I thought grimly, deciding to test a flash step. Nothing felt damaged or reopened, much to my relief; so I kept going, although unsure where I was headed. Minamoto said that Urahara was nearby. Where was he?

_(I remember the first time I encountered you in your dreams. You were quite the brave one then, as well. I was surprised that you could stand in my presence without fear, and even more so when you excelled as a Shinigami and awakened me so quickly. You are beyond your years, master—you are even attracting the young ladies. Will you be finding a mate soon?)_

My face distorted right before my foot managed to get caught in debris scattered along the ground. I fell to the tile with a painful smack, and yelped in agony as pieces of the ceiling stabbed into my chest—where most of my injuries were. _'Hyourinmaru…'_ I growled menacingly. He had been genuinely curious, and it led me to nearly killing myself again. If anyone could distract enough to lose bearing of my surroundings, it was Hyourinmaru.

_(Master, are you all right?) _Hyourinmaru asked desperately. _(Was that my fault? I did not mean to embarrass you…)_

'_You didn't embarrass me,_' I mentally barked. I rolled onto my back to get the chips out of my chest, although with much anguish. _'You just asked a stupid question.'_

_(I see…) _He paused. _(Then you do not have a mate?)_

"No I do not!" I shouted aloud, aggravated. _'Why are you asking me this now?'_

_(It has almost been three centuries, master. You are among the youngest of the Shinigami, yet you do not have mate?)_

'_Do I look like I need one?!'_ I bit my lip. _'Don't answer that. Just shut up. You're causing my wounds to reopen.'_

_(Ah, even while in so much affliction, master, you still do not lose your rigor…)_

"Shut up," I hissed. "Stupid dragon…"

"Hitsugaya-taichou? Is that you?"

"What?" I barked. I stared up, where the source of the voice was. "Who's there?"

A green and white hat peeked at me from above. "And just when I thought I'd have to go searching for you. I hear vicious yelling and lo and behold, here you are! You have quite the sense of direction!" Urahara grinned.

It was then that I realized that I was staring at a big gap in the ceiling, and I had lost my footing over the fallen debris from the crash. With a wince I pulled myself to my feet. "I've just about had enough of this place," I growled, kicking at random chunks of trash.

"I share your sentiments," Urahara said as I leaped to his level. "The exit's easier to reach from here on." He paused to scrutinize me. "I'm supposing you lost? Where did you get all those bandages?"

I scoffed. "Save the discussion for later. Let's get out of here."

I had many things to think about, and I really didn't want to think right now. Too much energy had been wasted in his hole of a 'house', and I wanted to get out. I _needed_ to get out. I don't even remember the last time I had seen the sun, even if I'd only been here for about two days. Or maybe three. I didn't know—there was no way to tell the time in here. It figures; the Bounto weren't limited by time.

"I met with Megu and Rangiku-san on the way. They're both safe and sound outside," Urahara mentioned. "The Bounto had a barrier set around this building, but Tessai and Momo-san managed to get it open wide enough for Rangiku-san to squeeze through."

He had lost me the second he spoke the familiar, unexpected name. "Hinamori?" I repeated, shocked. "What is she doing here? She's supposed to be in a coma!"

Urahara shrugged. "Rangiku-san told me that she had woken up a few days ago and insisted that she come help you. 'It's the least I could do for all the trouble I've caused,' she said. She's quite adorable."

"I'm never informed of these things. Idiot," I growled. My pace subconsciously quickened. "She should be resting. What is she thinking?" I glared at the man beside me, and it darkened as he cast me a suggestive smirk. "What?"

"Oh nothing," he said, waving his fan at me. "You're going quite fast, Hitsugaya. Mind slowing down a bit for an old man to keep up?"

The longer we flashed through the floors, the more I began recognizing my surroundings. Soon we were dashing across the first-level flooring, and the place finally looked a step above uncivilized. All I could think about was why the heck Hinamori decided to come to the human world, especially after just waking up from a near-death experience. That girl acts too irrationally, I swear.

_(If you do not loosen up, you will strain your muscles,)_ Hyourinmaru warned.

I ignored him.

_(You are a very stubborn person, master.)_

'_Hinamori is down _here_. How stupid can she be?'_ I seethed. My fists curled in tight balls at my sides. _'She should be in Division 4 resting! She shouldn't be expending her kido so soon!'_

_(You should not be stressing your limbs so soon either. Hinamori is fine; she's with Matsumoto. If she sees you pushing yourself this far because of her, she will become even more irrational.)_

With an exasperated sigh I receded. The last time I had seen Hinamori, it was back at Inoue's house. How long has it been since then? One month? Two months? Half a year? I wasn't sure. It had been so long since then; and though I never admitted to anyone, not even Hyourinmaru, this, I still felt responsible for the state Hinamori had been in. The reason I had become a Shinigami was to save my grandmother and protect Hinamori after all, and seeing her nearly die by the hands of that Aizen… it was almost unbearable. It was the ultimate failure for me, despite all the many other accomplishments I've made. I owed everything to her and granny; besides Jidanbou, they had been the only ones in all of Rukongai who didn't fear me. They had become my reasoning behind all that I endured to get to where I was now.

Their safety was my top priority as a Shinigami and person.

"It's right up there," Urahara spoke from my side, his scrawny finger indicating forwards.

Matsumoto was waving her arms at the entrance. It appeared to me that the door had been blasted open. Dim orange light filtered in through the hole, attesting that it was either early morning or early evening. "Taichou! Kisuke! It's about time! We've been waiting! Hurry, before the Bounto come!"

She didn't even finish her calls before I emerged from the door, panting. My chest and legs ached from the expending of my healing limbs, and I fought hard to regulate my oxygen flow. Warm sunlight filtered over me and fresh air brushed against my bruised body; it felt like I had just stepped foot into a paradise. I didn't think being free from that prison would feel so good.

"Come on, we don't have all evening! Everyone through the hole!" The little red-haired boy (whose name had suddenly slipped my mind) shouted, waving us to our escape route.

I waited for everyone else to pass through as I gazed around. Judging by the boy's words, it was evening. How long had I been in there?

There was definitely a barrier around this place. Just beyond the woods that surrounded this mansion I could hear the shrill laughter of children in the park. Apparently the house wasn't visible to the human eye anymore. Would it still be here once we escaped? I followed the big dome of a field to the source where a hole had been made; a tall bulky man stood on the inside and Hinamori stood on the outside, canceling out a small, human-sized section of the barrier with their kido. I had always known that Hinamori was a master at kido, but this man wasn't bad at all either.

"Toushirou, hurry up or we'll leave you there!" Nagasuki's high-pitched voice brought me back and I glared at her. She was grinning, like always, motioning me to hurry up. Everyone else had passed through. I cast one last gaze at the House of Horrors, the headquarters of the Bounto, and leaped through the hole.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay_

* * *

**A/N:** They're finally out! Woohoo! But still they managed to get little to no information about what's going on! What happened to Gina? What is Yasuo's plan? Just what is the Bounto's purpose? Things start speeding up from here on out—especially Hitsugaya and Megumi's relationship! It's about time, huh? But what kind of obstacles will they face?! Will they work out? A human falling for a Shinigami—completely unheard of! And what will Megumi do about her love rival (wink!) Hinamori?! What will happen?!

TO FIND OUT QUICK, REVIEW!

Also, I'm pretty aware that Hyourinmaru may be a wee bit out of character, since his personality is supposedly aligned with Toushirou's. But I'm an authoress--and I think he sounds cute how he did, haha. Hopefully you all approved of it though. After all, we've never really heard him talking, have we?

Special thanks to:

**Tateno Atsukino, joster13, Sakiru Yume, moogle in paradaisu, TideDrop, Mei Fire, iiTs a Fantasy, RyuseiStreamGirl, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, Michiko75, WeHoldTheseTruths, ih o w a l o n, erina destiny, UchihaFanGirl, glamouredFaErIe, demogirl193, Yorukirin, English-X-Rose, CoteCooties, Luca4ever, Skylite, nonday, Shanni-chan, CinnamonStar, NeferNeferi, TheKingJingles, Uchiha Sasha, Naruto-Lover227, DarkShadowMuffin, Miss Tsuki-chan, creaturekid, Feather's Shadow, anime.storm, xxlemon, THANK YOU! More than 500 reviews already!! I LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU!**

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	21. Short Lived Freedom

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Yay update! Only a week and a half later, just for you guys! Thanks so much for the reviews and comments—I really appreciate them! Really! I'm glad you all liked Hyourinmaru—I was worried about how people would react to how I made him. I'm glad they were positive! Now the group is finally out of the House of Horrors, AKA the Bounto Headquarters… but what happens next? The story is far from over! I can't believe I'm already on chapter twenty-one! And it's thanks to all of your support! Thank you so much—I never expected this story to be a success! You guys are the best!

Well, enough babble from me—read on and enjoy!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .  
**_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – O N E :  
**_"Short-lived Freedom"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld_

* * *

Daylight had never felt so good. The moment I had the first whiff of fresh, crisp, clean air, all of my past trials seemed worth the trouble. Of course, I actually thought it wasn't (I wouldn't have had to endure trials and tribulation if I hadn't gone into the house in the first place), but that was how good it felt to be out of that stupid place—it was so good to be _free_. To not have to worry about someone watching your every move, to not have to worry about a Hollow waiting in the shadows to devour you; it was a _very_ good feeling. And I embraced it mentally and physically with every ounce of myself.

I was still alive and breathing now, thanks to my handful of very unusual friends.

"Hitsugaya-kun! I can't believe you let yourself get hurt like this—look at all these wounds! Burns, cuts, bruises, scars—what have you been doing all this time? I thought you were responsible!" Momo's voice was like a flood of endless worry and subtle reprimand for a very irritated Toushirou. Looking over my shoulder to the two, I found myself grinning. I had just met Hinamori Momo, but I already loved her. Kind, compassionate, cheerful and mature—she was like another angel from above. It made me wonder if Shinigami were actually angels in disguise.

Toushirou swatted her concerned hands away from him, scowling. "Would you knock it off?! I said I'm fine! Why are you here, anyway? You should be resting!" he shouted.

Momo's cheeks puffed in an adorable way. "I come to help you and this is what I get? You're horrible, Hitsugaya-kun!"

"Shut up! And it's Hitsugaya-_taichou_ to you!"

There was absolutely no hint of genuine malice in their little squabble, thankfully. Goes to show how close they really were. I managed to get out of Rangiku that Toushirou and Momo grew up together in Rukongai before they became Shinigami. They were best friends (and still are, I think, despite the scene behind me), and looked out for each other like none other. Momo is also the lieutenant of Squad 5, which means that she must be pretty strong—on the same level as Rangiku, maybe? Not that I've actually seen her fight… although I could guess that she packed a pretty good punch.

"Nagasuki-chan, has he been acting like this to you all the time he was here?" Momo asked, a little annoyed. "I'm sorry—despite his element, he tends to 'lose his cool' all the time…" She ignored the vicious glower aimed at the side of her head.

"Please, call me Megumi," I grinned sheepishly. "And don't worry about it—I sure deserve it. He's saved my life so many times anyway!" Toushirou glanced at me expressionlessly. "Although I would like it if he loosened up sometimes—he's way too stern for his own good. How old are you supposed to be anyway, Toushirou? Thirteen? Fourteen?"

"Shut up—"

"She's right, Hitsugaya-kun! You're way too mature!" Momo piped, talking as if she were speaking to a child. "You should act more your age sometimes!"

"That's what Matsumoto does all the time," he retorted, "and look how she is!"

Rangiku stirred beside me. "Hey! That hurt, taichou!"

He scoffed, unaffected by her dramatic tears. "The truth does that sometimes…"

I tuned out another addition to the squabbles and jogged up to the rest of the group. Urahara, Jinta, Ururu, and Tessai were conversing among themselves ahead. With a childish grin I leaped onto the back of Tessai. As always, he didn't stumble; instead, he looped an arm around my waist and positioned me on his humongous shoulder. I perched comfortably on it. "How are you feeling, Megumi?" he asked, glasses glinting beneath the setting sun.

"Give me some food and I'll be perfect," I said with a large grin. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten at all since I stupidly ventured into the House of Horrors. "How long have I been in there, anyway?"

"Too long," Jinta responded bluntly.

"Agreed," Ururu added.

"About… two or three days? At midnight it will be… two days," Urahara calculated, counting his slender fingers. My jaw hung. Had it really been that long? "I must admit, I'll never look at those haunted houses the same way again. Who knew the most popular one in all of Japan would be the headquarters for Bounto? Yes, indeed, I'll never look at them the same way…" His voice drifted, lost in thought. "Anyway, we'll get some food into everyone back at my shop. Tessai's food is scrumptious, as you well know."

I knew that all too well. Tessai makes the best food ever!

"Shouldn't you be contacting your folks about now, Megu? I could imagine that they're worried after your ominous disappearance."

I almost fell off Tessai's shoulder. I completely forgot about my folks. "Oh man, Takuya-oji's going to ground me! And Metsuki—she'll be ticked! I should've called them or something! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Suddenly an idea sprang to mind and I dug into my pockets. I wouldn't be surprised if it was broken, but it was better than nothing… "I'll use my phone—"

"Taichou?!"

"Hitsugaya-kun, what's wrong?!"

I almost stumbled again as the sudden exclamation met my ears. Immediately forgetting about my phone I spun to see Momo and Rangiku balancing a collapsed Toushirou in their surprised arms. He wasn't unconscious, but the pained look on his face was piercing. I suddenly felt my own limbs ache. "Toushirou?!" I yelped, leaping off my perch. I fell to my knees in front of his fallen form, trying not to sound more concerned than I should be.

He winced. I noticed why when I saw blood darkening the bandages on his chest. "You're bleeding," I murmured, reaching out to him.

He wearily slapped my hand away. "It's nothing," he gritted his teeth, shoving off Momo and Rangiku. He stood to a pair of dangerously shaky legs. "I'm just a little…" He winced again and his knees gave out beneath him.

He fainted.

I squeaked in surprise as I suddenly felt his weight falling onto me and I struggled to keep us from tumbling over. To my surprise, he was much lighter than he looked. "Toushirou?" I asked worriedly, trying to focus on his health more than his very close proximity. I fought back a very potent blush.

I heard Urahara beside me, examining him. "He's exhausted," he noted. A small smirk from him to me made me stiffen. I didn't like that look. "Rangiku-san, can you go get Orihime?"

"Right." Rangiku cast one worried glance at her captain before flash stepping away.

"And Hinamori," Urahara said, motioning Tessai over. "My shop is just down the path. Go inside and set up a futon for him, please. Jinta, Ururu, go with her."

"Of course," the girl said. The three disappeared down the path.

"What happened to him?" I asked as Tessai lifted Toushirou from me. He gently cradled him in his arms as if he were a sleeping child. "Was this because he fought Yasuo?"

"I can't imagine who else he would have gotten those wounds from," Urahara said thoughtfully. "But we'll talk about that later once everyone is rested and assembled."

I nodded, subconsciously wandering close to Tessai. There was no hiding the worried look on my face. I had never seen Toushirou so beat up before; all covered in bandages and bleeding. He was a captain. He was strong. Yet he had been defeated by Yasuo? There were burns I could see lingering around his chest, so I assumed that Yasuo had fire-related abilities. Toushirou was all about ice… so there was a big disadvantage on his part. "Toushirou…" I murmured very quietly, brushing his tress of bangs from his struggling face. I watched him for a few seconds and almost smiled. Even when beat up and unconscious, he was still unbelievably beautiful.

"Nagasuki." His voice was very soft and forced; I didn't realize he wasn't completely gone. Or maybe he just woke up. Well, either way, I turned cherry red and retracted my fingers from his face. Hopefully he wasn't all the way there to notice my touch.

"D-Don't talk," I managed to say. "You need to rest."

"She's right, Hitsugaya-taichou," Urahara piped next to me. "You can talk later. You're in no condition to be doing anything else but sleeping."

Of course he ignored us. "She says she's sorry," he whispered, wrenching open his teal eyes towards me, "and goodbye."

We held eye contact for a moment. When he realized that I finally knew what he meant, he closed his eyes and played dead again. I pursed my lips and looked down.

My suspicions were right. Riana was gone. I had been mentally prepared for the news, but I didn't expect it to hurt as bad. I hid my tearing eyes from Urahara and Tessai's curious glances.

When we came upon Urahara's shop, we hurried inside. By the little living room in the house part of the shop was a smaller room—presumably Jinta or Ururu's room. Inside Momo was there with the kids, waiting by a waiting and ready futon for Toushirou. I stood by the doorway as Tessai gently placed Toushirou on the bed, and walked out when I saw his expression twist in pain at the movement of his limbs. He had been walking and talking fine when we got out of the mansion; why did he suddenly fall over?

I sat at the little round table and laid my cheek against the cold surface. Just minutes ago I was bouncing around, exhilarated because of my freedom; but it was so suddenly and so easily shot down. Toushirou was more hurt than any of us realized. My best friend was gone. Couldn't my happiness have lasted throughout the night, at least?

"He'll be fine once Orihime gets here," Kisuke mentioned as he strolled out of the room. "What's wrong, Megu? Are you hurt?"

I didn't realize that I had been crying. I quickly wiped my tears on my sleeve. "I'm fine, just a little more tired than I thought…" I forced a grin. "How is he?"

"He's a fast healer," Momo said, plopping down next to me.

"Kisuke!" It was Rangiku's voice. Not a second after the call the orange-haired beauty appeared in the room, lugging behind her a worried and somewhat confused girl. I'm guessing that one was Orihime; for some reason, besides the orange hair, she resembled Rangiku a lot. "Where's taichou?"

Kisuke pointed towards the bedroom, and offered a hand to me. "Orihime's a human like you, Megu. She has special powers though; would you like to see?"

That definitely perked my interest. I took his hand and he led me in after the carrot-topped duo. Rangiku stood by a kneeling Orihime, who had her hands hovering above Toushirou's broken body. My eyes widened in curiosity as she whispered something under her breath—it sounded like an incantation—and a human-sized sparkling golden pod covered him. "What happened to him?" her sweet, soft voice asked with genuine concern. "The last time I saw Toushirou-kun hurt like this was…"

My pained expression only deepened. He had been in this state before? I glanced up at Kisuke. He smiled back reassuringly at me. "Later," he promised. With a frown, I nodded.

I left his side and kneeled next to Orihime, watching to see what she was doing. She's a human, like me; but I've never seen humans doing this sort of thing—whatever she was doing. With a curious and amazed expression I watched as the leaking blood seemed to disappear little by little, and I knew what she was doing. Orihime was a healer. "That's amazing," I murmured, glancing at Orihime. She looked only a little older than I was—in high school, maybe?

She grinned modestly at me. "I'm just rejecting that this ever happened. It's sort of like… erasing his injuries. Not exactly 'healing' him, but taking his wounds away," she explained. Her smile widened, causing me to smile back—she's so cute. "What's your name? I'm Inoue Orihime."

"Nagasuki Megumi," I responded. "Nice to meet you!"

She nodded cheerfully. "There," she said, cutting off the shield.

My eyes traveled over Toushirou's body; and sure enough, the injuries were no more. It was as if he were never hurt in the first place. That was awesome. "He's sleeping now," Orihime said, standing. "He should be fine in the morning."

"Thank you, Orihime," Kisuke said. "You're a jewel."

"It's nothing really," the girl laughed sheepishly, waving her hands. "But… what happened to him? I didn't even know he and Rangiku were here until Rangiku appeared on my doorstep."

"Yamamoto-soutaichou didn't want to involve the ryoka this time," Rangiku said, leaning against the wall next to the futon. Her eyes wandered to her resting captain. "But seeing as we're dealing with much stronger opponents, we may have to…"

"And Kuchiki-san? Is she a part of this too?" Orihime asked.

"No," she responded. "It was just me and taichou."

I tuned out their talk and focused on Toushirou's now peaceful expression. I would've been completely lost if I continued to listen to them anyway. My chin rested on my arms on the edge of the bed. His wounds really were gone—not a scratch was seen. His breathing was controlled and regulated, no longer straining. So humans were capable of doing amazing things too; I wonder if I have some superpower like Orihime had? Maybe then I wouldn't be so useless all the time…

"I could imagine how exhausted everyone is," Kisuke said, gathering everyone's attention. "How about we eat some dinner? Some of us haven't eaten in days, and I believe Tessai's almost finished preparing our meal!"

I lingered behind for a few seconds as everyone else wandered into the other room. My eyes were trained on Toushirou and I smiled. "Sweet dreams," I murmured.

I stood up and followed the rest of the group.

* * *

It was close to midnight by the time I had gotten home. I didn't plan on staying long at Urahara's, but time just seemed to pass by like a blur. It was as dark as pitch once I stepped foot outside, but I had gotten used to it since my risky endeavors in the House of Horrors were even darker; but even still, I was overjoyed when Momo had volunteered to walk me home. She was such a sweet girl. She was talkative too; it was enough to keep my mouth shut, anyway. I felt bad; I wasn't exactly listening. Not that I was trying to be rude—my mind was occupied with something else.

And it had started bugging me since dinner.

Now that I was surrounded by scenery I was used to, it was only a matter of time until I adjusted and started thinking about what was going to happen next. It had only been two days since the House of Horrors, but it felt like much, much longer; and for some reason, it felt like this was only the first wave of something even more disastrous. It was a discouraging thought, but I knew it had to be true; anything was, now. From ghosts to monsters, and from vampires to Shinigami… this really was a twisted world.

And not only that, but now my family—or rather, my mom—was involved with Yasuo's ploy, whatever that happened to be. I'm sure that it was diabolical. But I don't understand how she could be involved… what could have possessed her to make friends or enemies with a Bounto? I didn't understand at all, and no one else did—other than one person.

Takuya-oji.

I was going to have to question him soon; either tonight or tomorrow. He's my mom's brother, so I'm sure he'd know more about her personal life than he told me; but I wasn't sure how I was going to pry into my mother's life without seeming suspicious, especially now. Tonight would probably be the best time, if I was going to go through with it at all. If midnight would be two days since my birthday, that would mean tomorrow was Monday which meant… school. Ugh.

"Is this your house, Megumi?"

I was abruptly pulled from my thoughts by Momo's voice. We were here already, and I didn't even put decent words together to tell Takuya… this was going to be fun. I smiled at my escort. "Yeah, this is it. Thanks for walking me, Momo! Will you make it back all right?"

She grinned knowingly. "Of course! I'm stronger than I look, you know!" she declared with adorable pride, her fists on her hips. "You must be tired. Get a lot of rest, okay? I'll see you later! Good night!" And with that, she flash stepped away.

I took a deep breath on the porch. The lights were still on, which meant that he was still awake. Metsuki never stays up this late, so I would be able to talk to him without any interruptions. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my skirt. Ugh, why was I so nervous? I reached into the lantern-porch light hanging next to the door for the extra house key, and inconspicuously let myself in. I saw the navy-haired head of my uncle plopped in his favorite chair in the living room.

Here goes.

"That you, Megumi-chan?" I heard him ask, glancing over his shoulder. I smiled awkwardly in response. "Did you have fun? Must've been the longest birthday of your life." I grimaced. Tell me about it. "Two nights at Rangiku's house—must've been an adventure."

"You met Rangiku?" I asked, kicking off my shoes and wandering to where he was. Now I knew that I hadn't suddenly disappeared in his mind; thankfully, Rangiku provided an excuse for my absence.

"Yeah, she called Halloween night. Seems pretty nice," Takuya responded, glancing at me. He had been watching a soccer game, as always. He raised a brow after scrutinizing me. "You look exhausted."

"Rangiku sure knows how to throw a party," I said sheepishly, grinning. I glanced at the clock—it was a little past midnight. "Hey, Takuya-oji, I know it's a little late but… can we talk for a little bit?"

That definitely made him wary. Whenever I asked him to talk, he knew that it would consist of me telling him something he didn't want to know, asking him something I know he'd say no to, or touch on something important. He wasn't exactly the type to be able to sit still and have a sophisticated conversation with… "Sure, Megumi-chan. What's up?" He tried to sound casual as he flipped off the TV and leaned back in his chair. "I'm all ears."

I sat on the couch, gathering my words and subconsciously holding my breath. Whatever I did, I couldn't mention anything about Bounto or Shinigami… but then again, this wasn't going to go anywhere otherwise… ugh, oh well. Whatever is blurted is blurted. "First, can you promise me something?"

"I'm a man of my word," he assured me.

"You can't mention what we're going to talk about to anyone—not even Metsuki."

"Promise," he said, growing uneasy.

"Loosen up, Takuya-oji," I giggled. "It's nothing bad." I think. His shoulders relaxed. "I was just… wondering about Mom."

He stared at me for a few seconds. "Oh, okay. What about your mom?"

"Um." Okay, what next? "How was her… uh… personal life? Like before she met Dad? Did she have any other… boyfriends?"

His ears perked at the word 'boyfriend', and I immediately caught my mistake. Oh no… "You're worried about boyfriends?" he asked, his voice a pitch higher. "Who is it, Megumi-chan? Do I know him?!"

I wanted to slap myself. "No, Takuya-oji, that's not what I—"

"Hmm… is it that new kid? That gangster with the bleached hair? Rangiku's brother?!" My eyes widened. Gangster with the bleached hair…? I bit back an abrupt chortle. Takuya-oji took my surprised silence as confirmation. Me and my dumb actions… "Definitely not, Megumi-chan! He looks dangerous! And I'm sure he's not your type… and you're so young! You have your whole life to date! Why not wait until you're thirty?!"

I rolled my eyes. "You're over-assuming things, uncle—seriously, I'm not looking for some guy! And I could care less about Toushirou, especially in that way!" Okay, that was a lie, but I couldn't let him keep prattling. I had to turn away from him so he wouldn't identify my pathetic lie. "I'm talking about _Mom_! Don't sprout gray hairs over nothing!"

"But Megumi-chan…"

I lifted my brow, daring him to continue complaining. He sighed. "Well, now that that's over with," I said, crossing my arms. "Back to my question earlier…"

"Why are you so interested so late at night anyway?" Takuya sighed, stretching himself across his chair. He stole a look at the clock. "It's past midnight. I think your bed's calling you."

I pouted. He was right and I was downright exhausted, but my curiosity would keep me awake all night. "I'm fine," I insisted, stifling a yawn.

"You know you don't function well without enough sleep—and don't expect me to let you play hooky tomorrow—err, today," he continued, lifting a brow. He scrutinized my face once more. "You're going to look like a panda in the morning if you keep this up. Go to bed, Megumi-chan—we can talk tomorrow. How's that?"

"But _oji…_" This is important, I wanted to tell him. He was right, I wasn't even functioning right now; how would I ask him about Mom without bringing up Toushirou and Yasuo directly? If there was anyone that knew the inside and outside of Mom well, it would be Takuya-oji and Dad—but Dad was dead, so my uncle was the only bet. I nibbled my lip out of nervous habit. "Fine. But can you just tell me if Mom dated anyone before Dad?"

He sighed again, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what suddenly got you so interested," he started. "But since you're so bent on delving… she had only one relationship before your father. His name slips my mind, but his surname was… uh… Kai? No, no, let's see… Dei…"

"Daijiro?" I asked hopefully.

Takuya glanced at me in surprise. "That's it. How did you…?"

"That's all I needed to know. Thanks, Uncle! Good night!"

Before he could press I scurried up my stairs, shut my door, and tackled my bed. It felt so good to be able to rest on something decent again. But despite how late it was and how exhausted my body was, my eyes wouldn't shut. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall together. Mom and Yasuo dated before she married Dad… that would explain why Yasuo talked so delicately about her. And when she left him for Dad, he was still infatuated so he collected newsprints about her. Now that she's gone, he's moved on to her one descendent—me. But what did he mean that my blood was his cure?

I shivered, hugging my pillow closer to my throbbing heart.

I had my suspicions, but I won't be thinking about them until I was in the company of some sane people—like Toushirou and Kisuke. Right now what I should be concerned with is school. I glanced at my backpack plopped on the floor, and realized that I had a quiz in Biology in the morning.

I sighed.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay_

* * *

**A/N:** And that's chapter 21! I hope you liked it! Orihime enters the scene! Is she the first of many others? Read and review to find out! What will happen next? Megumi's starting to put the puzzle pieces together, and so are some of you reviewers! There will be many surprising things yet to be revealed, so stay tuned!

Special thanks to:

**TideDrop, DarkShadowMuffin, UchihaFanGirl, moogle in paradaisu, MoonStarBeam, CinnamonStar, erina destiny, glamouredFaErIe, WeHoldTheseTruths, luca4ever, ih o w a l o n, Uchiha Sasha, Mei Fire, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, joster13, Sakiru Yume, Yorukirin, nonday, English-X-Rose, Talye Kendrin, NeferNeferi, Michiko75, Shanni-chan, iiTs a Fantasy, Death-God-777, KousukeAsazuki, demogirl193, RyuseiStreamGirl, Skylite, Tateno Atsukino, TheKingJingles, Akiko Rivers, InWonderlandx, invisible-gurl, kiki--, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

I'm really so honored that so many people enjoy my story. So far I have 100 alerts and 100 faves! I'm so happy! You guys are the best!

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	22. First Real Night at Home

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

I'm back with another chapter! Hope you all enjoy it! And thanks so, so much for the reviews! I really appreciate all of them!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – T W O :  
**_"First Real Night at Home"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "We Can Make It" by Arashi_

* * *

Needless to say, I flunked my Biology quiz.

School was, as always, a drag; but then again, I'd choose going to receive education better than losing my sanity in a house full of vampires. The story about Riana and Hikaru's disappearance was that they transferred to America for schooling. It wasn't a surprise; they were both disgustingly smart. I had to listen to Yukita's whines throughout the whole day, complaining that Riana never even told her anything and that she was a jerk for just leaving. To save myself from letting too much information slip, I simply remained quiet and tuned her out. I was depressed about Riana being gone too. I mean, yeah, she's a Bounto after my blood—but she was still my best friend. It was going to be a while before I got used to her being gone—if I ever got used to it at all.

It was sort of like a trade-off from Bounto to Shinigami. Riana and Hikaru 'transferred' out, and Momo 'transferred' in. Of course, she was instantly well-liked, especially by the boys. Like Toushirou, she was beautiful and knew how to carry herself before crowds; I couldn't help but be a little envious and feel inferior sitting next to her. Apparently, she volunteered to take care of Toushirou's little work (house-keeping, paperwork, keeping him sane, and delivering reports) while he took care of the big ones—so she would be staying for a while. Toushirou had woken up early this morning but decided to stay home for his laziness' sake. I would've done that too if school didn't actually affect me in life…

He didn't miss anything major though. School came and passed in a snap. I was too lost in my thoughts and ponderings to pay attention in any of my classes. Kaminari and Iona-sensei had no mercy, and Kouji-sensei was the only one who noticed my spacing and asked if I was okay. I really wasn't and I was still exhausted, but I told him I was fine. After school, I wanted to go home and sleep, but Takuya-oji gave me a few errands to run—mainly to get groceries. Metsuki was making a feast in honor of my grand return from my two-night absence. At the thought of my sister, my fingers subconsciously traced the bracelet she had given me—an accessory I now rarely ventured without. When I met her this morning, she was ecstatic. It felt nice to be welcomed so warmly... what would I do without her twinkling smile every morning?

The hustle and bustle of the city in the early evening was calming; it was noisy, but quiet at the same time. The sun was just starting to sink behind the mountains, along with its warmth; the nearing winter air brushed soothingly against my face. Shivering, I pulled my blazer tighter around me. It got warmer once I entered the department store. As always, this place was crowded no matter what time of the day it was. I sighed and maneuvered my way through the aisles, a basket hooked on my elbow and a list in my hand.

Takuya-oji, at the sound of a feast, found his dormant hospitality and suggested that we invite people to come eat with us. If we didn't, we'd probably have left-over's that would last a month. Metsuki had quickly agreed, and I'm sure you could guess who the lucky ones to be invited were: Toushirou's group. Apparently, Uncle was still suspicious about my liking Toushirou—or vice versa—especially after I told him about my new cell phone. No matter how many times I tried to stress how Toushirou _and_ Rangiku got it for me, he was still holding to that 'gangster with the bleached hair' being my boyfriend. I didn't want to try explaining to him how far-fetched (yet, ashamedly, pleasurable) that idea was. Takuya-oji was a very protective person when it came to relationships with guys…

Speaking of which, I still haven't invited them. It had completely slipped my mind during school.

Sighing, I whipped out my cell phone. Momo had given me Toushirou's new number as well as her own, thankfully. I flipped the silver top up, dialed in Toushirou's number, and perched it on my shoulder while stuffing more things into my basket. Now that I thought about it, this would be my first time calling him… and it almost felt like we were something more than friends. I listened to the rings flustered, trying to clear my suddenly parched throat.

There were four rings. _'Hello?'_ Toushirou's voice flowed into my ears.

I bit my lip. He sounded amazing even on the phone. It was going to be a nightmare trying to talk to him normally from now on… "Hi Toushirou! It's Megumi," I managed to say without stuttering, much to my surprise, "Welcome back to the world of consciousness! How are you feeling?"

'_Better,'_ he responded, sighing. _'What do you want?'_

I pouted. "Nice to hear from you, too." What a jerk. "Are you guys free later on tonight?" I asked, throwing a pack of noodles in the basket.

'_Hmm,'_ he mused. _'If I abandon my duties, then I suppose. Why?'_

My forehead creased. "Are you in a bad mood or something?"

I heard him exhale sharply. _'It's just a migraine,' _Toushirou murmured. _'I've been sitting in this house all day listening to two women prattle about idiotic nonsense. They won't let me out of this hole. Now what is it that you wanted?'_

I almost giggled. He really did sound upset… were Momo and Rangiku that bad? "Metsuki's making a really big dinner tonight, so Takuya-oji wanted me to invite you guys."

'_Dinner? Tonight?'_ He sounded a little hopeful at the word of being able to escape his new prison.

"Yeah. I'm out getting groceries right now," I said, making my way towards the register. It had gotten even more crowded than before I called. "You feel like eating normal food?"

'_Anything's better than Matsumoto's… 'cooking'…' _

I laughed. "Good! Then you can come over in a few hours. It's pretty lucky timing, actually…" I said, looking over my list of food items to make sure I didn't miss anything. "I have some… interesting information."

His interest perked. _'… A few hours you said?'_

"Right." I quickened my pace. "Metsuki's a fast chef, so you can probably head over now and just hang out for a little bit—" I was cut off as something abruptly ran into me. I yelped and stumbled back onto my rear, my basket flying off my elbow and my phone sliding across the ground. "Ow," I murmured. "I'm sorry!"

My eyes soared up to the face of my victim who had luckily not fallen. "I wasn't watching where I was…" I drifted off. Toushirou's faint voice boomed from the phone as my eyes widened with each passing millisecond.

"Hmm. Fancy meeting you here, Megumi-chan!" The blonde male winked at me, already having my groceries gathered in my basket. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. "I'm surprised you and that kid managed to get out of our hideout alive. Kudos to your friend!" he said mockingly.

"R-Romeo…" I stuttered, shocked. He was dressed as a normal human being, and was even carrying his own basket. "What are you doing here?!"

"Not stalking you, if that's what you were assuming," he chuckled casually. His crimson eyes gleamed at me. "Your escape made Ya-sama pretty steamed—more particularly at your Shinigami friends. I just came to give you his warning to tell them…" He yanked on my arm and pulled me into him, his cheek resting against mine. "… To stay away from you."

My eyes bulged. Romeo smirked, lifted the back of my hand to his lips, and handed me back my phone. "I'll see you later, Megumi-chan." He turned to walk away. "Oh, and tell Urahara-jii-chan that he's mine the next time we meet."

He disappeared in the crowd before I could say 'um'.

My heartbeats wouldn't slow down and I was having trouble breathing again. Romeo was here just to give me a warning? He was waiting for me? He knew I was going to be here? I suddenly felt very insecure. Was I being watched? As each second passed, it registered that Toushirou and the others were going to be in more danger if they stayed close to me… but what would that mean for me? That the Bounto were going to have to eat me? I didn't realize how much I was trembling.

'_Nagasuki! Talk to me! I know you're there!'_

I stared at the phone in my hands for a few seconds, surprised that he didn't just hang up. Should I tell him what he said? I pursed my lips, musing for a few seconds, before bringing the phone to my ears. "Sorry about that," I said sheepishly, trying to sound natural. I picked up my basket and trotted to the register. "I accidentally bumped into someone."

'_Idiot,' _he sighed, sounding relieved. _'Are you all right?'_

I gulped. "Yeah, of course I am! My butt kind of hurts but other than that I'm still in one piece!" I said a little over-cheerfully. Oh boy, that was a very bad lie. Even the deaf would've been able to see right through it…

'… _Okay, what happened?'_

Darn it.

"Nothing happened! I just fell!" I insisted, paying the cashier and grabbing my bags. "Well, I'm going on home now! So I'll see you later, okay? Come hungry!"

'_Nagasuki—'_

"See yah!"

Snap.

Oh man. I was so dead. He knew I was lying. I only had a matter of time until he pried the truth out of me… and it's going to be even harder resisting him in person… but I really didn't want to tell him the warning. Maybe I was being selfish… I don't want my new friends to stay away from me. They were my friends—of course I didn't want them to go away. But knowing Toushirou, if I told him the warning, he'd probably leave.

I sighed as the cool evening breeze met me outside. Well, I guess I should make my trip home worth while…

* * *

Okay, that walk didn't last long.

I stood on my porch, wondering whether I should leave the groceries and run off or try to lie to a boy who was absolutely gorgeous… and who was probably going to scold me. I don't even know if they were here yet. The porch light was on, and I heard shuffling inside; Uncle was cleaning up the place so it looked decent for our guests. Hah, just minutes ago I was inviting Toushirou over… but now I didn't want him to come. I sighed miserably.

"Are you waiting for an invitation?"

I yelped at the voice and spun around, startled. Teal green eyes were narrowed at me. "T-T-Toushirou!" I exclaimed, sighing again in relief. I saw him sooner than I'd hoped. "I-I thought…" I thought he was a Bounto, I was going to say. Where did he come from? I didn't even hear him approach! "Um, where's…?"

"They were taking too long to get ready, so I left them." He raised a brow at me, plugging his hands into the pockets of his light faded jeans. Hanging on his lean form was a black button-up shirt—with the top two buttons undone. I had a feeling he didn't really care about how he dressed himself; but unsurprisingly, he looked very nice. I resisted the urge to gulp. "Well?" he pressed impatiently. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," I shook my head, facing my door. I placed the groceries on the ground and fished out the extra key, kicking open the door. When I reached down for my bags, I found they weren't there anymore.

Toushirou walked ahead of me, easily towing my four bags of food. I blinked at him before scurrying inside after him. "Um, thanks," I murmured awkwardly as he put them on the counter. "Metsuki! Takuya-oji! I'm back!"

My uncle appeared from the hallway, a tired and hungry look on his face; apparently, he had been cleaning for a while. "Welcome back, Megumi-chan," he said wearily. He glanced at Toushirou suspiciously, and I wanted to slap myself again. How could I let us come in at the same time? How stupid! "I was wondering what was taking you…" he murmured, a flurry of accusations under his tone.

"It was a big coincidence that we happened to meet each other on the porch!" I laughed sheepishly. I grabbed Toushirou's elbow and led him closer to Takuya. "Toushirou, this is my uncle, Takuya-oji. Takuya-oji, this is my _friend_, Toushirou."

I could feel Toushirou eying me for a few seconds before dipping his head to my uncle. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine, Toushirou," Takuya responded, nodding his head.

"Nee-chan! Toushirou-kun! Welcome back!" Further down the hallway a blonde head bounced up and down, a happy grin on Metsuki's adorable features. It was amazing how accurate her walking was without her sight. She leaped onto Toushirou, latching onto his waist in a welcoming hug. He responded by awkwardly patting her back.

"Sorry I'm late," I said as she moved on to hug me. "The groceries are on the counter."

"Great! I'll get started right away!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Where's Rangiku-chan and Momo-chan, Toushirou-kun?"

I blinked. Metsuki knows Momo already? Does word spread that fast?

"They'll be here in a few minutes. They're getting ready," Toushirou said.

"Good," she said. "Nee-chan, can you keep them busy while I cook?"

"Sure."

"I'll be ready in a couple hours!" She skipped off to the kitchen.

I smiled as I watched her leave and turned back to Toushirou and Takuya-oji. "Well I guess I'll show you to… um…" I gulped anxiously. Takuya-oji and Toushirou exchanged placid glares. "Uh… let's go to my room, Toushirou!" I piped, grabbing him and running off. "See you at dinner, uncle!"

I heard him mutter something about gangsters as I pulled down my stairs.

"I don't think he likes me," Toushirou stated as he leaned on my far wall.

"He's not used to me bringing guys over," I grinned sheepishly, plopping onto my bed. "How are your wounds?"

"They're gone."

Oh yeah, Orihime took them away. "Orihime's amazing, huh? I wish I had a superpower…" I gazed thoughtfully at the ground. "Toushirou, do you think I could get a power like that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Things like that just… happen. Inoue wasn't born with that gift; rather… it kind of 'rubbed off' on her. There's another human who's like that as well."

I looked up at him. "Really? Rubbed off from whom?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he responded, saying it as if it were a no-brainer.

I blinked. That was the… second time, I think it was, hearing that name. Once from Jinta, and now from him. Who was he? The name 'Kurosaki' sounded vaguely familiar…

I crossed my arms. Where have I heard that name?

"Kurosaki… Kurosaki…" I mused. "Kurosaki… as in Kurosaki Isshin?" My eyes widened as Toushirou turned to me. Now that I was actually thinking about it, I knew exactly who they were. "And Karin, Yuzu, and… Ichigo. Really? _That_ Kurosaki Ichigo?!"

We and the Kurosaki's have a small history together; their father was our doctor, and Takuya-oji and Isshin went to college together. I didn't know his kids very well because we weren't the same age, but I knew his only son was in high school and his daughters knew Metsuki—they went to the same elementary school. I haven't seen any of them in a while, which is why the name wasn't familiar to me at first. "Is Ichigo a Shinigami?"

He nodded. "Substitute Shinigami, yes. He's alive, but he can become a Shinigami as ordained by Gotei 13. It's complicated," he added after noticing my confused face. "I'm sure you'll meet eventually. Anyway, we have something else to discuss…"

I flinched. I was hoping to avoid that subject. The mattress beneath me sunk a little more as Toushirou sat next to me. "I forgot," I lied, grinning at him. He raised a doubtful brow. "Um, well, I found out that my mom and Yasuo used to be in a relationship."

"Hmm," he mused, registering the information. "That would explain some things."

"And you know the humongous painting?" I asked, twiddling my thumbs in my lap. "One of the men in it was Yasuo, I think—the guy with the brown hair. And… the family painting on the first floor… I think that's my mom, my dad, and me as a baby."

His eyes flickered anxiously to me for a second. "Well," he said, cheeks puffing as he slowly exhaled. "I guess erasing your memories would have been a waste after all."

"Huh?"

"The Bounto were after you from the beginning, so you were bound to get wrapped into this mess anyway," he said almost mockingly. "You sure know how to attract trouble."

"I pass the fault onto my genetics," I said, swinging my legs. My mind was reeling, trying to think of another subject to hit on. I really didn't want to tell him about my run-in at the store… "Toushirou… if I hadn't gotten involved in this charade by default, would you have regretted not erasing my memories after all?"

He took the bait. "Most likely, yes," he responded after a moment of thought. "It's very dangerous for Shinigami to be involved in human affairs, and vice versa."

"Yet you let me slip," I stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "Why?"

"Hmm." I turned my head just as Toushirou craned to face me. I bit my lip and heatedly looked away to hide a surprised blush. "I guess you're just lucky."

"… That's it?"

"What?" Toushirou caught my eye again, and he had a genuinely curious look on his face. "Were you expecting a different answer?"

Hah. I was, actually.

"Stupid," I murmured, trying to mask my obvious disappointment. "So… is that why it's dangerous for me to be involved with you… err, I mean, you guys?" Phew. It was way to easy to say what's on my mind around this guy.

"Huh?"

"It would be a problem if a Shinigami and a human were to fall in love with each other, right?"

Toushirou sighed as he fell flat onto my bed. "Yes, it would be. A _big_ problem."

Hearing those words from him especially made my shoulders slump. "But… what if it were to happen? Say, hypothetically… like, really, really hypothetically, since this idea is _way_ out of the loop of the cycle of things… and it's a really crazy thought!"

"Get on with it."

"What if… I was to hypothetically have a crush… on you?" It felt like a confession, which is why I was blushing like mad.

"Well, if that were to hypothetically happen," he rolled his eyes. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice the growing curiosity in my tone. "I suppose I would have to cut all ties with you."

I very distinctly froze and my nails dug into my knees. "… Oh. And what if you were to hypothetically feel the same way about me?"

"The result would hypothetically be the same."

"So there's legally no future for hypothetical 'us' then, huh?" I almost sighed, but I was glad I caught it.

"Right," he lazily sprawled his arm across his stomach. "As a captain, I could lose my job. As a human, you could lose your life."

I frowned. "Huh… it's like Romeo and Juliet, then."

"Who?"

"Never mind," I sighed, turning to smile at him. He stared at me strangely.

"Besides," he gazed at my ceiling. "There's absolutely no chance of anything of the sort happening anyway."

"Of course," I murmured, lost in thought. "Absolutely no way…"

He looked at me again. "What's wrong?"

"Has it ever happened before?" I asked curiously, my eyes focused on his lazy form.

"Not in my years of being a captain," he said absent-mindedly. "Yamamoto-soutaichou is very strict about that rule, especially. I'd never seen it happen, but he accounts of one of his own subordinates who had been involved with a human. Like Urahara Kisuke, he was exiled and the woman was killed."

I gulped. "Sh-She was _killed_?"

"Not because of the Shinigami," Toushirou continued quickly. "She had gotten too wrapped up in business that she wasn't meant to be wrapped into and got herself killed."

That situation sounds ironically familiar. "That's so tragic… what were their names?"

"I don't know," he sighed, sitting up again. "I didn't really care."

"You 'didn't' care?" I repeated, blinking at him. "You mean, you care now?"

I saw him purse his lips. "I 'don't' care. My mistake," he corrected.

"Whatever," I hummed, bringing my knees to my chest. "It feels good to finally be out of there," I sighed.

"I actually agree," Toushirou nodded. "It's a lot of weight off my back. I thought for sure one of the more clumsy ones among us weren't going to make it out alive…"

"Hey!"

"So what's for dinner?"

I glared at the side of his handsome face and huffed. I slid off the bed and stretched. "Let's go find out," I said, yawning. "By the way, have _you_ found out anything important? I thought maybe you got some information pried from Yasuo during your fight…"

"I found out that Daijiro's insane," he remarked casually, following me up. "He's bent on spilling your blood, so be ten times more careful. Other than that, no."

I gulped again at his warning. "You sure lack tact," I frowned, crossing my arms. He shrugged. "I'm sure Takuya-oji knows more about Mom's life than I'm asking… so I'll have to question him again."

"And if you find out anything more, you are to—"

"Report it immediately. Yes sir," I rolled my eyes mockingly. Suddenly a thought hit me. "Hey, when I die, can I become a Shinigami too?"

Toushirou arched a brow at me. "You're thinking about death already? You're insane." He shook his head.

"When I become a Shinigami, can I be your subordinate?"

He threw his palms behind his head and turned slightly away. "Why should _I_ be penalized?"

I blinked at him for a second, registering what he said. Finally I threw a fist at his shoulder. "You're such a jerk!"

He sighed. "A mistake already…" He smoothly caught my fist and twisted it. "Shinigami rule number one," he said with a side-glance. The watermelon scent was more prominent than usual—he must've taken a shower before showing up. All the more distractions for me… "_Never_ be hostile towards your captain. Always show respect." His grip on my fist tightened as he dispatched me, sending me tumbling towards my bed. I yelped at the swift, but powerful movement, and in reaction grabbed his collar as a balance post. We both yelped.

And unfortunately, we missed the bed.

The back of my head crashed against the hard wooden floor, and I was seeing stars. "Oww!" I groaned, trying to blink away spots.

"Why'd you have to grab _me_?!"

"You shouldn't have thrown me, idiot!" I retorted weakly, shaking my head. "We wouldn't have fallen if you were heavier. You're so scrawny and small—grow some, why don't'cha?!"

"Why you—" he growled. I felt one of his bigger hands clasp over both of mine and he began tugging. Apparently, I still had a vice grip on his shirt. "Let go already!" When I opened my eyes finally, I immediately wanted to shut them in embarrassment.

Why _always_ me?

"Wh-What're you—?! Get off of me, freak!" I screamed, noting our awkward position. Toushirou's face was no farther than two inches from mine. I tried furiously to have him mistake my blush for red fury.

"I would if you would release my—"

The door burst open.

"Taichou, Megumi-chan, the food's… ready…"

It was Rangiku. I felt like I was in a manga.

I groaned.

Rangiku. "…"

Toushirou. "…"

Me. "…"

Rangiku. "… Taichou, you could've used the bed…"

"_It's not what it looks like!_" Toushirou and I yelped in unison. He jumped off just as I rolled to the side with both of us wearing a panicked, as well as heated, look on our faces.

I knew that no matter what we did or said, nothing would wipe the smirk from the woman's face. "I just stumbled upon the biggest scandal in Shinigami history… my, my, Hitsugaya Toushirou…"

"Matsumoto," Toushirou scowled, fixing his now wrinkled shirt, "If you say _anything_, I'll demote you." I noted that he was trying to avoid any sort of eye contact with me.

She crossed her arms, staring at the both of us with knowing eyes—although, more particularly, she was grinning at the humongous blush on my pale features. "Whatever you say, taichou!" she said, waving her palm. Her face was glowing with hidden humor. "Dinner's ready, so you can head on down… pfft… haha…" She flash stepped from the room so she could laugh in peace.

"_Hahaha!"_

"Well then," I cleared my throat, getting off the floor. "Let's go get some food…"

"_Hahaha!"_

"Right," he mumbled, raking a hand through his tousled hair.

"_Hahaha!"_

A vein finally popped in Toushirou's forehead. "_MATSUMOTO!" _He was gone before I could even blink, and abruptly the laughing stopped and was replaced with a smack and a yelp.

I took a deep breath to settle my furious heartthrobs. I was lucky I didn't hyperventilate from the prolonged contact. With a palm resting on my chest, I inhaled one more time and held it for three seconds. By the time my count was done, I was sprawled on my bed, staring, mesmerized, at my ceiling.

Toushirou was so cute when flustered.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Love So Sweet" by Arashi_

* * *

**A/N:** A nice, semi-fluff chapter between Megumi and Toushirou! Hopefully it was enjoyable. But now what's going to happen next? Obviously, Megumi's far from living a peaceful life again. What will it take for her to live undisturbed in life—if at all? Oh that mystery! Oh the suspense!

Please read and review to find out! As for all of your questions, they will be answered in times to come—but I will say that Megumi will be meeting many people in her little adventure!

Also, new opening and ending themes by one of my all-time favorite bands—Arashi!

Special thanks to:

**Sakiru Yume, invisible-gurl, TideDrop, Michiko75, moogle in paradaisu, Hana Ryuuzaki, Lulu4ever, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, glamouredFaErIe, Skylite, erina destiny, ih o w a l o n, Courtmaster Rin, Minako, Uchiha Sasha, Mei Fire, NeferNeferi, Yorukirin, nonday, RyuseiStreamGirl, CinnamonStar, joster13, Shanni-chan, TheKingJingles, ****AnImeIzReAsOn4lIfE****, InWonderlandx, Naruto-Lover227, FluffyCloud, MaskedReviewer, BunnyReleasedFromPrison, kiki--, creaturekid, UchihaFanGirl, and Talye Kendrin! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I hope you stay with me 'til the end!**

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	23. My Guardian Angel

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Okay, I finished this chapter two days after posting my last chapter. I haven't been able to do that in AGES. And because I love you guys and you all definitely deserve it, this chapter is served a lot earlier! Although, I do have a warning to give: THIS CHAPTER IS FLUFFY. As in, a lot in-depth fluff. You'll get what I mean after reading this chapter. Two fluff chapters in a row, Bayo? Are you crazy? More than likely, yes! So join me in my insanity and read on, reader!

By the way, this chapter is nearly 5000 words long!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – T H R E E :  
**_"My Guardian Angel"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "We Can Make It" by Arashi_

* * *

"How about a talent show?"

"That's so cliché!"

"Yeah, besides, we did that two years ago!"

"Um… karaoke?"

"No, that was last year!"

"Original, people! We want something new and alluring!"

"Costume?"

"Halloween was so last month!"

I sighed. "How about a masquerade? Not too childish, not too mature…"

Everyone paused their bickering to glance at me. "… Megumi, you're a genius!" exclaimed head-chairman Rioka Fuyuka, slamming an approving palm on the table. "A masquerade! I never would've thought of that! What a creative mind you have!" I rolled my eyes. I read in a recent magazine that most teenagers loved the mystery and open opportunities of masquerades.

That humongous feast Metsuki cooked up last night was like an early Thanksgiving. Even with the Shinigami's help we still had a lot of leftovers—that was what composed today's lunch. I slept bloated and woke up exhausted and cranky. That was the last time I took a nap right after a meal.

The dinner itself was very… interesting. Toushirou and I were still flustered from our little… well, I don't know what you'd call it. Scoop? Event? Anyway, Rangiku was totally giddy throughout the whole thing. And it drove Toushirou totally nuts. Momo and Megumi were already good friends, but then again, it was easy for Metsuki to befriend people. Who couldn't like her? Takuya-oji, I noticed, was busy sizing up the only other male of the group (although gone unnoticed by the 'white-haired gangster' himself) and occasionally throwing comments at me. The first one was, 'he's really short.' That sent me into a giggling fit that attracted the attention of the other members of the group, especially Toushirou's adorably confused face.

That was the first real night in a while that I could laugh without worry.

I rested my chin in my palm and, in complete boredom, traced random designs on the table with my finger.

Winter and spring had always been the busiest times of the year for Karakura Junior High. Most of the annual events take place during those seasons (for both practical and deeper purposes), although I personally thought winter was just a little busier. November and December carried along with them the most loved activities: the Winter Dance and the Festival of St. Nick. This town had so many festivals hosted by our school it was exhausting—especially as a student council member.

"What should we do for games? Activities? Food? Music? I need ideas, people!"

Rioka was especially enthusiastic about this topic—the Winter Dance was her favorite thing to plan. She was out-going, bubbly, and a little eccentric, but she made a good leader. It took guts for anyone to go against her. The Winter Dance was in two weeks—two weeks after this Friday. Those fourteen days were going to be a living nightmare of late nights, phone calls, errands around town, and invitation-making. I was already in a crabby enough mood. All I wanted to do was eat and go to sleep again. I glanced at the clock. It had been an hour and a half since school let out.

"Oh, oh! It should be a really formal masquerade!" exclaimed one of the other members.

"No way," interjected a girl, "that would cost way too much!"

"Tch," huffed the boy (who was rich), "Fine, semi-formal…"

Now that I thought about it, this was the busiest time of the school year also because of the finals. Oh, crap. This was definitely going to be a nightmare. I really wanted to sleep all the pressure off…

"For music," Yukita piped, catching everyone's attentions, "I think Megu-chan should man the piano!"

That certainly pulled me from my thoughts. I glared up at her. She was grinning as if she'd just discovered the cure to a disease. "_What?_" I seethed, not in the mood for one of her crazy suggestions.

"It's a good idea, right? You love the piano!" Yukita countered, unfazed by my scowl. "Classical piano pieces would definitely set a deeper mood for the atmosphere…"

My frown deepened. "That's absolutely—"

"Genius!" Rioka exclaimed, clapping her hands. My forehead slammed against the tabletop. "Grand idea, Yukita—grand! And who better to play piano than our very own Megumi?!"

"I can list a few people…" I murmured, feeling a migraine coming on.

"We've got the music taken care of then!" Rioka continued, ignoring me. "We'll have Tsuki cover the food, Haruna can take care of the decorations… and I'll think of more later! I'll call everyone soon to tell you what's going on. Thank you all for your participation!"

Chairs scraped as people got up to leave. "Don't I get a say in anything?" I sighed, grabbing my backpack.

It was raining today, and had been all day. And it was freezing.

I stood just outside the school doors, barely escaping the heavy rainfall. It was dark, and there was a deep mist that made vision obsolete. I sighed. I forgot an umbrella. "Well, I'm not about to go out there," I said stubbornly, heading back inside the building. It was dark inside, too. Everyone else had jet before I even left the council room. Apparently, the meeting ended just before the storm got worse.

I wove my way through the halls, ignoring the crash of thunder and the reflection of lightning against the windows. It felt kind of freaky to be in this humongous building by myself, but I'd rather camp out here than risk my rear trudging through rain. Rubbing the goose bumps on my arms, I headed over to the drama class and found a spare blanket in one of the costume boxes. "Maybe there's an umbrella in the staff room," I pondered, making noise just to keep myself company.

My footsteps echoed in the lonely halls, and I subconsciously hugged my blanket tighter around me. It was old, itchy, and smelled funny, but it was better than nothing. The staff room was locked. "Darn it," I murmured, sighing. I moved closer to the school doors and peered outside. It was still as dark and dreary, maybe even more so, than it was before. I would be crashing here for a while. "Stupid rain—I hate rain!" I growled, my eyes squinting in the darkness.

I blinked. There was something moving around out there.

If I wasn't already freaked out then, I definitely was now. My heartbeat jumped drastically and I fell to my knees, tearing my view outside. What was that? I couldn't tell it if was human or not. "Well," I gulped, slouching against the doors, "No human in their right mind would be wandering around in a maelstrom. So… maybe it was just a paper bag or something…" The wind howled like a pack of wolves out there and the rain beat hard on the roof and windows. Hearing the eerie noises didn't help in settling my heart.

Slowly, very slowly so that it felt like it took hours, I inched upwards to peek out the small square windows in the doors again. I sighed in relief. Well, whatever was out there, it wasn't there anymore. At least, I don't think it was. I could barely make out the front step in the mist. Curiosity got the better of me as I tried to pinpoint what the object was, just to confirm that it wasn't some freaky homeless guy who was looking for shelter too.

Lightning flashed and thunder cracked—and I saw it again. Only it wasn't a moving blur in the wind and rain—it was an immobile lump on the ground. It was too small to be anything human. My fingers trembled as they gripped the sill of the windows. Part of me wanted to get out of this complex school and see what it was, but the other part forbade me from moving a step. I was alone.

Loneliness brought many things to mind…

'_He's bent on spilling your blood, so be ten times more careful.'_

'_Never be by yourself.'_

'_Avoid dark places.'_

I groaned, banging my head against the window. Why did I have to remember that now?! So I have to watch out for homeless freaks and Bounto now?! I didn't know which was worse!

So that made travel in the rain obsolete. But then again, if I had to stay in school overnight… that would be very bad, much less terrifying. It was like a horror movie just waiting to happen. I tried to shut out the thought of there being a homicidal killer in the vicinity. I gulped, and, despite how freezing it was, perspiration prickled my brow. If I had company, I wouldn't be so fidgety. But I wasn't, so I was very paranoid.

I found myself peering out the window again. The rain still didn't let up and, although I didn't know why, I squinted to see through the darkness again. Lightning came to my aid again just when I needed it, and the area briefly lit up.

My eyes widened.

Now there was some_one_ out there.

It was just a still silhouette standing there, unaffected by the pelting drops, seemingly staring through the window… and right at me. I couldn't break the contact no matter how hard I tried. When I finally blinked, it was gone. My pulse throbbed in my head and I struggled to regain my breath. Before I knew what I was doing I had dropped my blanket and kicked open the doors, meeting the harsh turbulence of the gale.

"Hello?" I screamed. What was I doing?! "Is anyone out there?!"

No answer.

I was already drenched by the time I ran to where I thought the stranger had been standing. My drenched hair clung to my face and eyes and I struggled to keep from blowing over with the wind. "Hello?!" I called again. Had I been hallucinating?

I sighed—well, more like grunted—in the rain. I must've looked like an idiot. Something must have possessed me—why did I run out here in the first place? I contemplated running home now, but I knew I wouldn't make it there without getting smashed by a car first. In frustration I gazed down, ready to turn back to the school.

There was a lump at my feet.

I yanked my hair from my face. It was the lump I saw through the window. So I hadn't been hallucinating that. Hugging my arms I kneeled down to get a better look. It was black, and I dared to touch it. It felt like wet fur. My eyes widened and I rolled it over. "… A cat?!" I exclaimed. Sure enough, the unconscious feline lay like a dead animal before me. I didn't know what to do.

So I acted with my instincts.

I scooped it up in my arms and ran back to the school, slamming it shut. "I-I-It's c-c-c-cold…" I murmured, grabbing my blanket and wrapping it around the cat. I ran back to the drama room and got another blanket for myself. My backpack waited for me back by the school doors. There, in the corner, I slumped, hugging the animal to my chest and shivering all the while. "It's a black cat," I noted, staring down at the thing in my arms. "I guess bad luck really does come with them…"

My backpack suddenly started to make noise. It took me a while to figure out it was my cell phone. Gasping I dug through the front pockets and held it up to my wet ear. "H-Hello?" I answered.

"_Megumi-chan?! Are you all right?!"_ It was Takuya-oji's panicked voice. It felt nice to hear from someone human again.

"I'm fine," I said, trying not to shiver. "I'm cooped up in the school."

"_Oh, good—at least you have shelter,"_ he sighed, sounding relieved. _"I'm sorry I didn't come to get you when the storm hit—the power went out, so I couldn't get the garage open. But it just came back on and I'll come get you right away—"_

Click.

Beep, beep, beep.

I sighed and hung up. The power must have gone out again. I guess I was stuck here again for the time being…

I glanced down at the unmoving lump in my arms. "… Even if you're unconscious, you make good enough company," I said without humor, doing my best to dry its fur. What was a cat doing in the middle of rain anyway? Most were smart enough to stay away from thunderstorms. I pressed my palm against its chest, feeling for a pulse or a heartbeat—and thankfully, I felt it faintly. "Dying from hypothermia would suck," I said, its fur just slightly damp now. "So I'll make sure you don't die." With that said, I held it close to me again, sighing.

I don't know how long I had been sitting there, but it must've been at least two hours. It felt like even longer. I didn't move an inch from the corner and the situation outside was stubborn—it sounded horrible out there. The darkness had begun to slowly swallow up the hallways of the building, making it more eerie than it had been. Flashes of lightning would light everything up occasionally, like a flickering light bulb. My clothes were still damp from the rain and I was freezing, but that didn't bother me right now. The cat was getting better, I'm guessing; its breathing was more full and steady, and its heartbeat regulated. Even if it was a stranger and not even human, it felt nice to be able to save something's life.

I flipped open my cell phone for the billionth time. It was now seven o'clock.

"I really don't want to have to stay here overnight," I said, standing up. My limbs seemed to creak from the sudden movement. Outside I saw that the wind was still turbulent and the rain was vicious. I hate rain. I threw my backpack over my shoulder, grabbed my phone and the cat, and walked deeper into the school. Usually such a courageous act would have never crossed my mind, but I was way too cold and exhausted to think about it. I had to find a warmer place to sit and wait.

I thought about a fireplace, but this school didn't have that, for obvious reasons. Who knew what a group of eighth graders like myself would do with fire? Most boys here were pyromaniacs.

So now I was standing there, damp, in the middle of a hallway. It was then, when I looked around and saw nothing but darkness, did I realize how freaky it was here at night. Gulping, I ran to the drama room again. I guess that would be the warmest place because of the many clothes and accessories they have there. I'm sure the school wouldn't mind if I used some to keep from freezing to death…

I slumped in a corner among manikins (they were close enough to real I guess). I put the cat in the box of costumes, making it like an egg in a nest. The clothes there would be warmer than I could be right now, anyway. I grabbed my cell phone again. It seems that whenever I touch this thing, it reminded me of Toushirou… unfortunately.

'_Yes, it would be. A _big _problem.'_

'_I suppose I would have to cut all ties with you.'_

'_There's absolutely no chance of anything of the sort happening anyway.'_

I flinched at each memory.

"Why did it have to be _him_?" I sighed, hugging my knees to my chest. "Why not someone normal? Someone who's not a Shinigami or a Bounto… Ugh, stupid Toushirou." Whenever I was in danger, all I had to do was think of Toushirou and feel safe. Whenever I think about guys in general, Toushirou's the first to spring to mind. And right now, when I'm shivering wet and alone in school, I was thinking of him. If only he knew…

'_I suppose I would have to cut all ties with you.'_

I shook my head. "No, I can't tell him…" I said sadly. "If I say anything, he'll leave. I know he will…" Part of me was expecting him to come and get me here, but chance of that was little to none. Knowing him, he was expecting me to be at home, cuddled safe and warm under my blanket… besides, why should he trouble himself to come to my rescue? It's not like I was in big trouble…

I sneezed and coughed. Man, I was getting a cold already. I shivered again and pulled my blanket tighter around me.

"Mreow…"

My ears perked just as a small black head poked up from the box. It was the cat. With half-lidded golden eyes it peered around, trying to gain its surroundings. When it spotted me, it froze.

I half-smiled. "You're finally awake," I said. "Are you feeling better? You shouldn't be wandering around in the rain like that…" Now I was talking to cats. How lonely was I?

It leaped from the box and bolted to the door, all the while staring at me precariously. I simply watched it, too lazy to move. "At least you have energy," I murmured. "It's still storming out there, so you can stay with me."

There was something different about this cat, I noticed. I didn't know what it was… maybe it was a possessed black cat. Its bright eyes gazed at me, and it slowly walked to where I was. We didn't break eye contact—and then, very cautiously, it pawed my feet. When I made no other response than a smile, it looked down and looked back up; and then it sprinted out the door.

I blinked. It looked like it was nodding its head.

My interest suddenly aroused, I stumbled forward and followed it out the door. By the time I was in the hallway, it was desolate of any life. "I must be hallucinating again," I sighed, holding my head and wandering back to the room.

I sat there again for another long while—this time alone. It must've been another hour or so, with the gale still howling, that I heard something.

Doors swinging, light treads. My eyes were already wide. It sounded like somebody had entered the building. I was eight o'clock and the power was still out—so I was sitting in a very dark room, shivering from the cold in just my school uniform and makeshift blankets. It was so late already—who could it be?

I wasn't afraid though. I was cold, shivering… I was too weary to register the thought of danger.

I heard a faint voice, calling for something…

And finally, unconsciousness swallowed me up.

* * *

"… _ake up…"_

"_Wake up…"_

I stirred.

"_Wake up… you can't sleep like this…"_

I felt myself being gently shaken.

I pried one eye open, expecting to be met by the bright light of the sun filtering through my window; but instead, a crash of thunder and lightning jolted me from my slumber. I yelped, covering my ears and burying myself into the wall. "S-S-So… _c-c-c-cold_…" I murmured. I heard something shuffle in front of me, and I realized that there was something with me.

I suddenly regained my senses and I screamed. My sight was still blurred, but I didn't want to see who it was. A homeless guy? A Bounto? Joe Shmoe?

I felt something being wrapped around me and I tried in vain to struggle. "St-Stop!" I murmured weakly. "I… I don't have anything! G-Get away from m-me!"

They were too strong. In vain I tried to push away, but they threw their arms around me and pulled me into them. My body stiffened and I whimpered, both from fear and from how warm they were.

"Calm down," they breathed, their warm breath tickling my ear, "It's just me."

My eyes opened to see a white blanket—or was it clothing? I gently pushed back to see their face. The voice was familiar…

"… You're…"

He sighed. "You're such a hassle, Nagasuki…"

I blinked. "What… Wh-What're you doing here?"

Toushirou sat next to me and leaned against the wall. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Were you… looking for me?" I asked, still a little dazed.

"… Yes," he said quietly. "When I checked your house when there was a power-outage, you weren't there. Your uncle and sister were panicking, talking about you. So I figured you got yourself in trouble again."

I sat next to him, holding the blanket tighter around me. "How long?"

He glanced at me questioningly.

"How long have you been looking?" I repeated, gazing at him. He was soaking wet with his white hair clinging to his face. It would have been a beautiful fight if I were in my right state of mind.

"Does it matter? At least I found you." I translated that as 'a long time.'

I glanced back down. "… I'm sorry," I said sadly.

I felt Toushirou's eyes briefly scrutinize me. "What for?"

"I'm always causing you trouble," I murmured quietly. "Always making you guys worry and everything… and having you come and save me all the time. I'm really sorry."

"Well, don't cry about it," he said heatedly. "Just promise you'll _call me_ next time you're in trouble."

I tried to laugh. It sounded like a cough. "Y-Yeah…"

He was quiet for a while before he talked again. His voice was like an angel's. "When I saw the rain, it reminded me of that one night," he said absent-mindedly. "I thought for sure you were going to show up drenched on my porch again."

I blinked at him, wondering what he was talking about—and then I remembered. It was the night I first called Toushirou by his name.

"That was the first time I'd ever seen you… frightened. As in, terrified—you were paler and colder than any ghost I've seen. Even throughout the House of Horrors, I never saw a face like that on you. It really didn't suit you. So I thought that… if I let you stay out in the rain for too long, I'd have to see you like that again." He huffed. "You were hard to find."

"I remember that night," I whispered.

"When I saw how you acted, how lost and out-of-mind you looked staring out my window… I realized just how fragile you really were." He brought one knee up and rested his arm on it. "I told myself that I wouldn't let you have a reason to have that disposition anymore."

I gazed at him as he stared blankly ahead. "Matsumoto and Urahara, I'm sure, have that same mindset. As long as we're here, you don't have to worry about dying or anything bad happening to you, nor do you need to be sorry about it. Got that?"

I choked on my tears. Toushirou's attention wavered to me. "I really am lucky," I whimpered, rubbing my eyes. I smiled at him. "I have guardian angels."

He stared at me, scrutinizing my face, before looking away with a look of satisfaction. "Guardian angel? That's a bit generous…"

"Guardian angels protect stupid human beings who constantly need help. I think that perfectly describes you," I retorted.

"If you call Matsumoto that, she'll be ecstatic," he said with a bit of dread. "Are you still cold?"

"Aren't _you_ cold?" I asked. "You're drenched."

"I'll live."

I grinned at him. I really was so lucky to even know these guys. What have I, a single, powerless human, done to merit such a blessing? Absolutely nothing. Yet here I was, sitting next to a person—my guardian angel—that I have undoubtedly fallen for, even though a relationship between us could never exist. Our love would always be one-sided. I knew that, yet my heart wasn't willing to give him up to laws and the odds. At first his presence was something so alien to me—so strange that I didn't accept it nor like it. He didn't fit in; he was way above anyone at school and just normal life. Yet I had always been attracted to him, even if it wasn't romantically. I said I used to hate him, but…

But maybe… I've actually loved him all along. Since day one.

That's why I'm not giving him up because of some stupid rules, I decided. Rules were meant to be broken anyway. If I passed him up now, I knew I'd never be the same again. Call me selfish—I call it love.

"… Thank you," I said, looking at him.

"It was just a scavenger hunt through the rain," he scoffed. "I've experienced worse. It's nothing."

I smiled. What made my insides tingle was the fact that he had scavenged through the rain for _me. _That meant so much more. Finally I noticed him in a vulnerable state—he shivered. My grin widened. "Are you sure you won't turn into an ice sculpture?"

He glared at me.

With a boost of courage from my previous thoughts I scooted closer to him and offered half of the blanket. "Here. We can share; the blanket's big enough."

Toushirou gazed at me, surprised at first—and then he jeered stubbornly. "I'm fine."

"Do you want me taking care of you instead when _you_ catch hypothermia?" He made no reaction. "Don't be so stubborn! Let _me_ be a hero once in a while," I urged.

Finally he sighed and accepted the offer. "Just this once," he sighed, "I'll let you be the hero."

"It's my pleasure," I said as we pulled the blanket tighter. He was cold to the touch, but I didn't care as long as it was him. He said that 'we' could never happen, but I wonder what he actually thought about me. Was it possible that he could like me the same way I liked him? It was a far-fetched idea… especially after he said that there was absolutely no way that something like a Shinigami-human relationship could happen. But there was always that 'what if'… "Hey, would you mind if I leaned on you?" I blurted suddenly. I felt a wave of heat light up my features.

He didn't answer immediately. "… Don't blame me if you get sick."

And that was all the answer I needed.

With a more than satisfied grin on my face I leaned against him and rested my head on his shoulder, enjoying every second of contact despite how frigid he was. He was stiff at first, but he gradually relaxed. "You're comfier than your bed," I said.

"Is that an insult to my bed?" he asked.

"Hmm. Maybe, maybe not."

"Hn." His tone sounded thoughtful.

Maybe 'we' have a chance after all.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Love So Sweet" by Arashi_

* * *

**A/N:** _"… I'm not giving him up because of some stupid rules."_ Easier said than done, dear Megumi!

So I hope you all liked it! Rain just seems to bring the two closer, doesn't it? Hopefully none of you were turned off by this chapter! So let me know what you all thought of it! How will Megumi go about making winning Toushirou over, much less breaking one of the most sacred Shinigami rules? In times like these, it would be great to know what Toushirou's thoughts were, huh?

Read and Review please!

Special thanks to

**Michiko75, TideDrop, Seven Black Roses, moogle in paradaisu, Shanni-chan, hakufan1, haipa-chan, erina destiny, InWonderlandx, glamouredFaErIe, eliseyweesey, NeferNeferi, TheKingJingles, Akiko Rivers, joster13, Mei Fire, UchihaFanGirl, Atama Ga Ii, Skylite, Sakiru Yume, Hana Ryuuzaki, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, ih o w a l o n, Itami-chan, RyuseiStreamGirl, CinnamonStar, KousukeAsazuki, Uchiha Sasha, rosesRred16, xxlemon, and nonday, THANK YOU FOR THE 31 REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ALL! **

And some of you are really catching on to the story, by the way. ;3

-- bayo –bayo, signing out!


	24. Calm Before the Storm

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

My rant will be at the bottom of the chapter. xD So just read and enjoy, everyone! I love you guys!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – F O U R :  
**_"Calm Before the Storm"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "We Can Make It" by Arashi_

* * *

_Ring, ring, ring._

"Mmm…"

I rolled onto my other side, away from the noise.

_Ring, ring, ring._

I groaned. What was that annoying sound? It didn't sound like my alarm. That was much more obnoxious. This was a gentle ringing—not the loud, blaring clangs of something to wake me up, but rather it sounded vaguely like something that was trying to get my attention. I wasn't in the right mindset right now to point it out immediately. I never was in the mornings.

But in a few seconds, I jolted right up and my arm instinctively flew to my nightstand, where my cell phone was vibrating and ringing like there was no tomorrow. I glanced at the clock. It was seven o'clock. I gazed at my caller ID. I groaned again. _"What?"_ I seethed after I flipped open the phone. "What business do you have calling me at freaking seven in the morning, Toushirou?!"

"_Don't you wake up at this time every day anyway?!" _he jeered back, equally annoyed at my tone.

"Not on Saturdays, idiot! This is my day of rest!" I whined, falling back onto my pillow. I threw my other arm over my eyes, blocking out the sunlight that was slowly filtering in through my window. My chest lifted as I took a deep, soothing breath. "Sorry. I'm usually not that cranky in the morning… I had a long night." It was impossible to stay mad at him.

He sighed. _"Homework?"_

"That _and_ I have to study for a humongous Geometry exam that I'm totally going to fail anyway. I have a lot of things to do today which include shopping and practicing piano, so I tried to get as much of my homework done as possible, but I ended up sleeping late." It was amazing how easily my thoughts flowed when I was talking to Toushirou—I could rant to him forever, and he'd just sit there and listen to me. "Anyway, why are you calling? Miss me?" I added in, grinning. As much as I meant it jokingly, there was still that little part of me that wanted him to say 'yes.'

Of course, that was simply wishful thinking.

"_Don't be absurd so early in the morning,"_ he scoffed. _"I called to tell you that I'll be in Soul Society for the next few days."_

I sat back up, surprised. "Soul Society? Why?"

"_Captains' meeting. And Yamamoto-soutaichou wants a personal report. Since Division 12's theory about a disturbance (other than Hollows) proved correct, we're doing a briefing about what the next step will be and how we'll accomplish it."_

I grinned. I always knew he was a Shinigami captain, but up until now I've only seen him as a friend—a peer, rather than authority. It was kind of refreshing to hear him use that tone of superiority, even though I'm sure he wasn't doing it on purpose. Toushirou wasn't the kind of guy to flaunt his status. "Sounds important," I commented.

"_We're just discussing how we can make your life safer."_ I could hear him roll his eyes.

"I wish I could go. Can I?" Meeting other Shinigami and seeing where they lived would be so much fun.

"_Absolutely not!"_

I cringed away from the phone, startled by his abrupt raise in volume.

I heard him curse under his breath before regaining himself by clearing his throat. _"It's really dull. Trust me."_

I blinked, doubtful of his excuse. "Um, sure…"

"_Anyway," _he murmured, sighing. _"I'll be gone for at least three days, so I'm trusting that you'll preserve your own life for a while until I get back?"_

"I don't know," I said, shrugging. "You know how attractive I am to trouble…"

"_Don't remind me,"_ Toushirou growled. _"Look. Matsumoto and Hinamori are staying. You have them and Urahara and his group. So you're safe with them."_

"Okay," I replied, absent-mindedly twirling a strand of my hair around my finger. "When do you leave?"

"_Right now,"_ he said after a few seconds. I heard a rustle. _"This will be the last time we'll talk for a few days. Remember your rules?"_

I rolled my eyes. He was going father mode again. "Yes, Toushirou."

"_Good." _Another rustle. _"And do me one favor while I'm gone."_

I had slipped off my bed to stretch out my limbs. "What's that?"

There was a small silence. _"… Don't die."_

I blinked. Those last two words carried a tone that was much, much different than the one he used during the whole conversation. Soft, authoritative, genuine, and… pleading? It took me a moment to remember that it was him saying this. I don't think I've ever heard him use that tone before.

Was he actually worrying about _me_?

"… Okay," I responded, unsure of what else to say.

He scoffed. _"Do otherwise and I'll slaughter you again in Soul Society. See you later."_

I could feel my cheeks burning again. "Y-Yeah. Bye."

He hung up.

I stared at the phone for a few more minutes, recalling those simple two words that I could rephrase as anything I wanted it to. He probably meant it in a sort of mocking way—he didn't want me to be too reckless. Simple, right? But that tone he used—it was as if, maybe, _he didn't want me to die._ Even though death simply meant transferring to Soul Society. What did he truly mean by it? What was he actually trying to say to me? Or was I just making a big deal out of something that was supposed to be little?

Either way, I smiled.

"I'll miss you," I whispered aloud as I put the phone on the nightstand. This was going to be a long 'few days.'

So to keep my mind off that sobering fact, I got ready for the day (because I was too awake to go back to sleep). I had planned to sleep in and go supply-shopping and errand-running at eleven, but I was thrown back four hours. Stupid Toushirou. I had an extra four hours to do nothing besides sit around and think about stupid stuff.

… Which mainly centered around Toushirou.

"If only he had an idea of the effect he has on me," I growled to myself as I brushed stubborn knots out of my mess of thick, curly, steel blue-gray hair. I hate trying to manage this. I gave up after a few minutes and just clipped back the front part which was supposed to be my bangs with a clip. "Hah. Me, tell Toushirou how I feel?" I added, bouncing the ends of my locks, "That'll happen the day Toushirou turns into a pyro."

Thinking about him made me think back to the night I was stranded at school during the thunderstorm. That was a weird, mind-boggling night, but a night to remember. I learned a little bit more about me and Toushirou's situation.

First of all, I realized that I had managed to dig a deeper hole for myself. I not only like him—I love him.

Second, there was little to no chance of a serious 'us' ever happening.

And third (and most importantly), I decided despite all that, if I was going to lose Toushirou, it wasn't going to be because of the stupid Shinigami laws.

Phooey on what the rule book says.

Sheesh, if I would've known that I would have fallen for Toushirou, I wouldn't have kept my memories in the first place. I could say that I'd go against all the odds (which include legions of Shinigami who are ten million times stronger than I), but it was kind of discouraging remembering that you were the only one on your side. I couldn't tell Toushirou, and his Shinigami friends would probably tell their superior. Yukita was a _big_ no-no. So basically I was keeping this secret all to myself.

Before I knew it, it was half-till eleven. I cleaned up, got dressed, worked on some music that I'd be playing at the Winter Dance, and got some food into me. The weather was in my favor today—bright, blue, and completely cloudless with no trace of rain at all. That was a good sign. Takuya-oji told me that if I got stuck in a thunderstorm again, Toushirou wasn't allowed to look for me. He wasn't very happy about us spending the night together in an empty school (that's how long the storm raged and the power outage lasted). So basically, he'd rather have me dead than with a guy. Worrywart over-protective uncle…

With a shake of my head I emptied the remainders of my cereal into the sink and tossed my empty carton of apple juice into the trash. Takuya-oji was at work long before I even woke up, and Metsuki was still sleeping. I scribbled a note to them on a sticky-pad and pressed it onto the fridge. I turned to get my bag ready for some adventuring, when I abruptly screamed.

"Ohayo, nee-chan!" Metsuki beamed, hopping in my presence.

With a choked gasp I held my heart, trying to regulate its rate. "You scared the heck out of me, Metsuki!" I whispered, taking a deep breath. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Because I woke up, silly!" she grinned, obviously pleased with herself.

I sighed. She followed me as I went to get my backpack and slip on a pair of flip flops. "Can you manage the house by yourself? I'll be out for a while."

I glanced at her; she was gazing down, drawing a design into the carpet with her toe. "Um, about that… I'm afraid I can't."

"Why not?"

She looked up at me with her empty lavender eyes. "Because I'm going with you!"

* * *

"It's been so long since we last hung out together, nee-chan!" Metsuki piped, cheerfully swinging our hands back and forth. Her sandy blonde hair bounced against her back as she skipped. "The weather's nice, too. I love winter!"

"It gets too cold in the winter," I said, using one hand to pull my jacket tighter around me. We were on our way to the art store, our first stop. "I like fall. Not too hot, not too cold…"

"You're so impartial, nee-chan," she replied, giggling. "You're not one thing or the other—you're just in between. You don't like hot weather, but you don't like cold weather either. You're not serious and boring, but you're not lively and annoying. The same goes with your hair—it's not dark, but it's not very light either. It's like a storm cloud!"

"Don't make fun of my hair," I said with a grin. "So I like walking on the line rather than dancing on the sides. Does that make me weird?"

"Nope." She flashed me a wide smile. "It just makes me love you more!"

I returned her smile and ruffled her hair as we stepped into the art store. "Let's see… I need banners, paint, markers, stencils… ugh, how am I going to carry everything?!" I exclaimed as I perused my list. Thankfully Rioka had given me more than enough money to get everything she needs (she's very rich) so we wouldn't go bankrupt. I grabbed a basket. "Well, let's get started."

"I hear that your school's doing a masquerade this year!" Metsuki said as I started tossing things into my basket. "That's new! I bet it'll be fun!"

"For the wealthy kids," I murmured, sighing. "When I suggested it, I wasn't really thinking about the costs and supplies. I don't even have a dress, much less a mask."

"Eh? You're going?!" Metsuki exclaimed, shocked. "You're actually going to the dance this year?"

"I have to," I sighed. "I'm playing the piano."

"That's so cool," she continued, face sparkling. "You have one of the most important jobs, nee-chan! Music has a big effect on any party!"

"I guess. I'm just playing classical, though—it's supposed to set a dark, mysterious mood."

"Oh, so were the songs you were practicing this morning some of them?"

"Yeah. That's Beethoven—he's so depressing."

"But I love the Moonlight Sonata. That one's my favorite!"

I made a face. "That one's the most depressing!"

"But it's romantic in its own way, too," she said with a sigh. "Are you asking anyone to go with you?"

I rolled my eyes as we made our way to the register. "Nope, I'll be stuck with the piano all night, remember? Besides, who would I ask?"

She grinned mischievously. "You know, nee-chan, I'm not stupid."

Suddenly the hand she was holding was getting damp. "Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, trying (and failing) to sound clueless.

"I've noticed that you've been hanging around a certain someone for a while," she continued.

I huffed, grabbed my bags, and led her out of the store. "I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Hey, look! There's Toushirou-kun!" she shouted abruptly.

"What? Where?!" I instinctively responded, swerving my head around. I heard her laugh, and then I sighed with a defeated blush on my face. I had briefly forgotten she was blind. "How do you know this stuff?!"

"I wonder," Metsuki grinned. "I told you you'd like him."

"… I didn't mean to," I admitted, sighing again. "It's just… I don't know. He's… different from other guys." That was a huge understatement.

"I don't blame you," she shrugged understandingly. "He's really sweet."

"When he wants to be," I added. "… Which is not all the time. We wouldn't work out anyway…"

"Hmm? Why not?"

"We're too… different. He's on a much higher plane than I am—way out of my league."

"Have you told him anything?" she asked.

"Of course not," I laughed bitterly. "I don't want rejection."

She huffed. "How do you know you'll be rejected?"

"Why _wouldn't_ I be rejected?" I scoffed.

"Because maybe he might like you too?"

"Fat chance," I said.

"Give yourself more credit, nee-chan! You're very lovable!" she replied stubbornly.

"Maybe to my sister!" I retorted just as stubbornly. "I'm fine with just being his friend. Who needs boyfriends? Certainly not me!"

"Hmm, you must really like Toushirou-kun," she mused playfully. "You never were this stubborn when you liked Hikaru-san."

"Humph."

"What exactly do you like about him?" she asked curiously.

I glanced at her through the corners of my eyes. "You're awfully nosy today." She giggled. "Well," I started, rubbing the back of my head. The warmth from my face didn't fade, unfortunately for me. "He's firm, gentle, responsible, protective, self-less… and he's adorable whenever he's frustrated or embarrassed." It was weird listing every single thing I loved about Toushirou. I didn't even know I had words to describe him. "And there's just this mysteriousness about him that draws me to him. It's really weird." And it was also the thing that drew me into uncovering his secret…

"He's like a puzzle, isn't he?" she agreed with a bob of her head. "You just want to put pieces of him together to see what he actually is as a whole."

"Exactly," I said. "You sure have a way with words, Metsuki—no wonder you're at the top of your class. You're much more mature than you look—are you sure you're only seven?"

She simply gazed up at me with a smile. "Nee-chan, can I ask you a question…?"

I smiled. "Sure. What is it?"

"If someone really close to you isn't what they seem… would you… still love them?" she asked slowly, as if trying to word each thought flowing through her mind precisely. Her eyes nervously blinked to the sidewalk before soaring up to mine again.

That was an unexpected change of subject. Who was she talking about? I didn't have to think twice about my answer—I was in the situation her question voiced. "Yes, I would," I replied.

Her lips opened in a little 'o'. "You didn't even hesitate," she observed, surprised. "And if that someone suddenly… without telling you… left, what would you do?"

"Look for them, of course."

A small smile, mixed in with an emotion that I couldn't quite name at the time, lit up her features. "You're a great friend, nee-chan."

"Why do you ask?"

Her smile widened. "Just wondering."

We spent from that time until early evening going to the rest of the stores and getting what supplies I needed for the dance. It was a lot of stuff (a _whole_ lot of stuff), but I managed to get it all. Metsuki was with me the whole way, chatting with me and making the time fly past us like the wind. Every tick on the clock seemed like a whole minute. However, I couldn't help but think back to her question earlier. It was a sudden question… something I wasn't expecting. Especially from her. It made me wonder why she asked it. Was she in the same situation I was? I bit my lip.

Did she know about Shinigami?

I wanted to ask her. But if that wasn't the case, then she'd know something she isn't supposed to know and Toushirou would erase her memories as well as mine… but how would she know about them? She couldn't see. I knew it; there was something that was missing. Something I couldn't remember. Something important… what was it? It was as if it was right in front of me, but I couldn't see it…

"Nee-chan?" Metsuki's voice pried through my thoughts, pulling me back to her. "Are you okay? You're tense."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I replied, forcing a smile. I was thankful she couldn't see.

She was confused at first. "Okay," she said. "I'm really tired, nee-chan—can we go home?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm beat too."

"Hey," she piped as we were on our way back home. "Don't give up on him, okay?"

"What?"

"Don't give up on Toushirou-kun," she said softly, staring ahead with empty eyes. "No matter what the odds are, don't give up on him. Okay?"

I blinked. "Metsuki, what…"

"Promise me."

My lips quirked. "… I promise."

She smiled up at me. "Good."

It was that same smile—the smile that had an emotion mixed with it that I couldn't identify. And for some reason, it bothered me.

* * *

I woke up the next day sore, mainly in the arms. I guessed it was from all the bags I was towing the day before. With a painful groan I rolled around in my bed, thankful for the other half of the weekend. Prying one eye open, I found that my room was still dim; the light from the morning sun was softly filtering through my window, just like yesterday. What time is it?

I sat up slowly and reluctantly to find that my lower back was throbbing like crazy. This was going to be a painful day. Now cranky, I reached over to my nightstand to grab my phone for the time; but my fingers felt paper instead. That wasn't there last night.

I groggily knuckled my eye as I grabbed the slip and looked at it tiredly. It was a note—a note that made my eyes go wide. With no trace of sleepiness in me anymore I flew out of bed, regardless of how I looked, and raced downstairs. Takuya-oji was home today; he was off on Sundays. I found him plopped on his favorite chair in the living room, reading the morning paper. When he saw me in the hallway, he waved.

"Morning, Megumi-chan. You're up early—and on a Sunday?" he greeted me, glancing at me through the thin lens of his reading glasses.

"Takuya-oji, did Metsuki go somewhere?" I asked, out of breath for some reason. I was in such a rush; I didn't even check her room.

He stared at me for a few seconds and slowly pulled off his glasses. "Metsuki?"

I nodded. "Yes, Metsuki. Did she leave?"

He cocked his head. "Who is that, Megumi-chan? A new friend?"

Silence.

"You're… kidding, right?" I laughed in scorn.

"No… are you feeling all right?" he asked with genuine concern.

He was clueless.

In two seconds I charged back to my room, threw on decent clothes and dashed out the front door, not even bothering to close it. Behind me I could hear Takuya-oji shout in surprise and concern—I tuned him out.

I was too confused to even think. He had to be kidding. He _had_ to be. But he wasn't. It didn't make sense—how could he not know her?!

I replayed the words on the note carefully in my mind.

_Thank you for being my best friend, nee-chan; I'll never forget you. Please don't look for me._

_Goodbye,_

_Metsuki_

I wiped frightened tears from my eyes I ran down the street shouting her name.

'_If someone really close to you isn't what they seem… would you… still love them?'_

Metsuki, what were you talking about?

'_And if that someone suddenly… without telling you… left, what would you do?'_

Were you talking about… yourself?

'_You're a great friend, nee-chan.'_

Suddenly it clicked. Her smile—her smile during that conversation… I knew why it was bothering me now. That beautiful smile mixed with the emotion I couldn't name.

It was mixed with sadness. I didn't recognize it at first because it was rare for her to show that emotion.

My gut and feet led me to the park—the park that was bordered by the forest. With shaky legs I leaned forward on my knees, panting hard. I was so confused. _Was_ she talking about herself? Was the reason she went shopping with me to ask me those questions? What was she trying to do? Why did she ask me those questions?

And most importantly, where was she now?

"Metsuki, where are you…?" I whispered. The sores on my body were tripled in pain.

"You want to know where she is?"

I gasped, surprised. Looking up, I saw a silhouette standing by a tree. "Who…?" I breathed, stepping forward.

Electric blue eyes stared at me as the figure stepped from the shadows. "I can take you to her."

Hikaru.

"Hikaru," I growled. "What did you do with her?!"

He held out his hand to me. "Come. I'll take you to her."

I stared at him hesitantly. Was this a trap? Was I walking right into the Bounto's trap? How do I know he's telling the truth? My feet stayed glued to the ground.

"Don't believe me?" he inquired emotionlessly. His other hand dug into his pocket and pulled out something very familiar.

It was the matching bracelet to my friendship bracelet. My heart stopped, as did my breathing. They had her. "This is hers, right?"

"If you did _anything_ to her—"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Megumi." His eyes were cold. "I'm trying to be nice. This is my last offer. Come with me, and I'll take you to her."

My fists clenched. I had only one option.

My steps were slow and reluctant, but I made my way over to the Bounto. My eyes were fixed on his face, so void of life; and those eyes, which were completely unreadable. I took his hand.

I wasn't thinking about anything. Not about my safety, not about the risks, not about getting help—all that consumed my thoughts was Metsuki. Her safety was my top priority right now.

"Take me to her."

He pulled me to him and I was unconscious.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Love So Sweet" by Arashi_

* * *

**A/N:** CLIFFHANGER! Sorry, couldn't help myself! Oh, a new turn of events and even MORE unanswered questions! Aren't I cruel?! I bet you guys will have tons of questions; and you know what the sad thing is? I can't answer them, 'cause you'll find out for yourself in the next chapters. I won't even say anything about those chapters just to build up suspense.

Oh, I'm cruel. What makes it worse is that no one's there to help her this time. What will she do?!

Find out next time in Furareta!

Two words: THANK YOU. :3 Thanks so much for the 46 reviews! That really knocked my socks off! I realize that chapters containing HitsuMegu fluff gets a lot of reviews. But alas, I can't have three fluffs in a row! The thing about fluff is, is that after a whole 20 chapters containing action and whatnot, a few fluff chapters are good. It lets you know that there is, indeed, romance in this crazy story. And romance is, indeed, a central theme (although it may not seem like it). But having too many fluffs in a row gets old, you know? It's like knowing what your present is before you even open it. And that's just not exciting.

But that doesn't mean there won't be a lot. ;3 I'm just saying that you'll never know when I manage to squeeze fluff into my chapters, so don't expect them every chapter! And there will be a lot, like I said, for the chapters to come because:

I need to squeeze a few climatic (I'll have fun with this) twists into the story.

I plan to finish this story with no more than 40 (maybe 45) chapters. And if I can manage it without making the story seemed rush, maybe even less.

Why? You'll see.

I would say more, but then you'll get ideas and (probably) guess what the rest of the story will be like.

Now THAT would suck.

And that's basically it. Thank you so much for your support. It makes me overjoyed to see people that usually don't like canonxOC pairings enjoying my story—that just makes me feel overwhelmed. You guys sure know how to pump someone's ego. X3

Read and review, everyone, please!

Special thanks to:

**Aminea88, lulu4ever, Uchiha Sasha, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, ih o w a l o n, TideDrop, Itami-chan, xxlemon, Skylite, Seven Black Roses, haku fan1, erina destiny, LifesA(censored)ToMe, Courtmaster Rin, InWonderlandx, moogle in paradaisu, nymphadora1196, glamouredFaErIe, invisible-gurl, rosesRred16, Mei Fire, NeferNeferi, Michiko75, ai-bleach, joster13, Minako, TheKingJingles, Chaotic Demon, Morbid Mello, UchihaFanGirl, TrsukiKishuko, anime0angel, fanny-kun, Shanni-chan, Sakiru Yume, nonday, Hieis-Dark-Little-Phoenix, Cinnamon-chan, JC-WV, NiinaKyo, Talye Kendrin, Naruto-Lover227, viettvnt, aoitsuki77, shyper-ness, katreal, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You guys are what keeps me updating! Seriously!**

And I hope you review this chapter, as well!

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	25. A Captain's Confusion

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Look how nice I am. :3 I planned to keep you guys in suspense for another week, but I decided to give you this chapter. And it's another treat—it's in Toushirou's point of view! Yay! I hope you guys enjoy, because submitting quick chapters is very hard for me now. ;3

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – F I V E :  
**_"A Captain's Confusion"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "We Can Make It" by Arashi_

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

Captains' meetings were always so unnecessarily drawn out. Yamamoto had a sticking habit of dragging out simple points into two-hour (and sometimes longer) lectures. Half of the captains (except maybe Byakuya and Komamura-taichou) were already long gone by the time the first fifteen minutes passed, myself included. Sometimes I wonder if it was solely because he was old(-er) than the rest of us that he talked so much—that was Matsumoto's assumption, anyway. I just figured that was how Yamamoto was.

It had been a while since I last visited Seireitei. It felt like I had spent centuries in the human world because of the onslaught of things that had bombarded me during that (brief—it had only been two and a half months, much to my shock) time. What was supposed to be a simple patrol for mysterious activity turned into a battle to protect myself, my subordinates, and a human girl who managed to get herself wrapped up into this mess. The last report that I wrote (which was yesterday) recorded the events of the House of Horrors, the main highlight of the entry. Upon reading that "I would need more reinforcement than planned," a captains' meeting was scheduled.

Matsumoto was ecstatic about me leaving, not much to my surprise.

I told her to keep an eye out for anything unusual and to especially make sure Nagasuki was safe both during the day and night. After her luck resulted in her being trapped in her school, vulnerable not to just Hollows, but to other people as well, it was confirmed that she was going to have to be watched twenty-four-seven. Or I'd have to put a tracker on her or something—otherwise, she might as well be found dead in a dark alley one morning. Or worse—she'll be found as a pile of ash.

Stepping through the Senkaimon led me to a familiar scene—the white marble grounds of Seireitei, the headquarters of Gotei 13.

"_Yamamoto-soutaichou requests your presence in the first division quarters for your meeting._"

The hell butterfly fluttered around my head, repeating the message once more before flitting away. I sneezed. "Dang it," I murmured, sighing. I thought I had gotten rid of that cold. Nagasuki was an idiot, making me trudge through that downpour…

_(You are still sick, master?)_ Hyourinmaru's voice rang in my head just as I began heading towards the said destination.

'_I guess so,' _I responded with aggravation.

He chuckled. _(And to think the prince of ice cannot conquer a mere cold… I do believe Nagasuki-san has already gotten rid of it.)_

'_Shut up, stupid dragon.'_

His laughter faded into the depths of my mind. Sometimes I just wished he was out of my head.

Everyone had already been waiting for me as I entered the division. Standing in this room always made me uncomfortable. It was enormous in capacity, but carried so little furniture. In fact, I don't think it carried anything of the sort at all. Yamamoto-soutaichou stood before the line of eleven Shinigami captain, his hands resting comfortably on his wooden staff. When the large heavy doors of the room were pushed open, all heads turned to face me. I nodded in apology and hurried to the end of the line.

"Welcome back, Hitsugaya-taichou," Yamamoto's voice boomed from wall to wall. "I trust you had a smooth return?"

"Yes. Thank you, sir," I replied, bowing my head slightly.

"Now we can commence our meeting. As you all know, Hitsugaya-taichou and his fukutaichou were stationed in the human world to watch for any strange activity. Recently, Kurotsuchi-taichou and his division have been picking up strange traces of reiatsu that were inconsistent in activity and wavelengths; and after a few weeks of study, Kurotsuchi-taichou had come up with a surprising theory. He suggested that the Bounto have risen from their graves."

This was all review to us. Of course it was a rumor at the time and was kept a secret to the lesser Shinigami, but the captains and second-in-commands had been investigating this for almost five months already.

The small, beady eyes of the old man turned to me. "Would you please give us your personal report, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"Yes, sir," I nodded. "Kurotsuchi-taichou's speculation is correct. The Bounto have returned, although it is not the same band that had infiltrated Soul Society a few years ago. According to their leader, Daijiro Yasuo, there are six in all, and I have met with just two—the other being Minamoto Riana."

"Have you fought with any of them?" The calm, composed tone of Byakuya flowed across the room.

"Yes. I have fought with their leader, Daijiro. He possesses the element of fire; it is no surprise that he's their leader."

"Fire? Does that mean you lost?" Zaraki's gruff voice inquired.

"… Yes." Ignoring the circulation of surprised murmurs I continued, "It's unclear what his objective is, but I believe that it centers on a human I met."

"A human?" Soi Fong repeated. "Does she know about you?"

I nodded. "Two of the Bounto had been her friends, but their identities were revealed shortly after she discovered mine. It was inevitable that she'd know about us and is directly involved. Daijiro seems to be obsessed with a deceased family member of hers. She has come in contact with four of the six Bounto."

"Interesting," Ukitake murmured from beside me. "Who is this girl?"

"Nagasuki Megumi," I responded. "Her mother, Nagasuki Akina, is who Daijiro has definitely had a connection with. How, when, or why is unknown."

"So what have you deduced from your surveillance as a conclusion, Hitsugaya-taichou?" asked Yamamoto.

"These Bounto are stronger than the last batch. They have a Bounto that seems to specialize in barriers and something reiatsu-related; it took Hinamori-fukutaichou and Tessai, both masters of kidou, a massive expanse of their energy to break open the barrier around their headquarters long enough for us to escape. Daijiro controls fire; Minamoto Hikaru controls ice; Romeo has an explosive doll; and the last known Bounto, Minamoto Riana, has an unknown power. The other two I have yet to meet. All in all, we will need much more Shinigami than the current three in order to completely destroy Daijiro Yasuo and his group."

A low whistle interrupted the three-second silence. "That bad, huh?" Kyouraku sighed.

"So even Hitsugaya-taichou was defeated," Komamura added, just as shocked.

"I can offer a subordinate for physical support," Unohana suggested.

"That would be appreciated," I nodded. "Also, Yamamoto-soutaichou." He looked at me. "Considering the heavy stacking of the odds against myself as I stand, may I suggest that we ask the ryoka to assist us?" The thought of asking for help from those humans almost made me feel inferior; but those humans were much stronger than even some of the Shinigami here.

"Ichigo? If Ichigo's involved, then I'm definitely in!" Zaraki exclaimed excitedly. I swear his obsession with Kurosaki (or rather, his death) was on the borderline of terrifying, even for me…

I heard Byakuya huff on the other side of the line. "If that fool is involved, things will get obnoxiously chaotic…"

"If Ichigo gets to help, we should ask Yoruichi-sama as well. She's much more talented than that human!" Soi Fong piped.

Yamamoto quelled the outbursts with a heavy tap of his staff to the ground. "I will consider your suggestion, Hitsugaya-taichou. If I do concur, there will be less need for me to issue Shinigami… however you will be held responsible for their actions, as well as for any other help you seek outside Gotei 13. That includes Urahara and his crew." His gaze turned to the scientist captain. "Kurotsuchi-taichou, I would like you to gather information about the known Bounto and their connection with Nagasuki Akina."

"Of course," the man replied.

"And Hitsugaya-taichou," he turned to me again. "You are still the operator of this mission; although, considering your human acquaintance is an official target of the enemy, you will be in charge of her personal safety as well. If she is lost, the Bounto will win. She will be your first priority."

I bit my tongue to stop myself from blurting that I already did that anyway. "Understood."

"Unohana-taichou, please select a subordinate that you would wish to assist Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Yes sir."

Ukitake nudged my side. "If Ichigo's going to be helping, I'm sure Rukia would want to join in. Would you mind?"

"Not at all."

"Bah, Ikkaku's been whinin' about wanting to go to the human world anyway," Zaraki added.

"I will see if Abarai would like to join," Byakuya monotonously added.

"Thank you for your help," I spoke up with a small smile.

Yamamoto nodded and stepped off his platform. "Have them ready to ship out as soon as they can. Hitsugaya-taichou, come with me, please."

I bowed to the rest of the captains and followed after him. I suppose that, despite what I was told, I would be able to leave much sooner than three days. I couldn't help but be relieved; Nagasuki, even with Shinigami around her, would undoubtedly get into trouble again. Honestly, that girl is like a child—you couldn't leave her alone without expecting her to get involved in some sort of chaos.

_(Are you worried, master?)_ Hyourinmaru questioned.

'_Worried? No,'_ I responded heatedly. _'Anxious? Yes. That girl is like walking destruction!'_

_(I find your relationship with her deeper than the average Shinigami-human bonds,)_ he argued playfully. _(You know, you _have_ been thinking about her a lot recently…)_

'_I have not,'_ I retorted. Maintaining a straight face while talking to the dragon was hard; but if I did otherwise, Yamamoto would think me as a freak. _'Just shut up, Hyourinmaru.'_

_(And most of those thoughts revert back to that night she was stuck in the thunderstorm. I think you were more worried than her uncle and sister combined.)_

'Hyourinmaru_…'_

_(I expected you to shun her away when she asked for your shoulder, but instead you complied. Her head felt nice on your shoulder, did it not?)_ He was having fun with this.

I, on the other had, was not.

So I completely turned him off.

Ah, sweet relief. I didn't want to try counting how many times he's bugged me about that incident…

_Hey, would you mind if I leaned on you?_

_You're comfier than your bed._

With a scowl I shook those memories, along with the chortle of an annoying dragon, from my mind. I couldn't think about that, and definitely not now.

When I was completely free from my thoughts I realized Yamamoto had led me into his residence—a small, even room. What was I doing here? He walked me to a low square table.

"Please have a seat, Hitsugaya-taichou," he said, motioning across from him. I obeyed. "My vice-captain will be here with tea soon."

"Don't worry about it…" I replied absent-mindedly, more or less distracted by the sudden change of atmosphere. "What is it that you needed?"

"Straight to the point as always," he observed. "Actually, there is something I wanted to speak with you about that I'd rather keep from the other captains."

"Oh?" That surprised me. What did he want to talk about that he could talk to me about in front of the others? Was I in some sort of trouble?

Sasakibe Choujirou walked in carrying a platter with two cups. "Forgive my tardiness," he humbly said as he placed them in front of us.

"Thank you, Choujirou," Yamamoto nodded. He took his cup and motioned me to do the same.

"Uh, yes, thank you…" I trailed off. He bowed and took the platter away.

Yamamoto's chuckle drew my attention back to him. "There's no need to be tense, Hitsugaya-taichou. It's just a casual talk between men."

"I'm sorry," was all I said. Curiosity drove me crazy. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Just a few questions," he replied. "I just wanted to question you about Nagasuki Megumi."

That was all. How relieving. "I see," I said, feeling relaxed enough to take a drink. It soothed my parched throat.

"I'll be blunt," he said.

I was prepared now. "Yes." I took another drink—the tea was surprisingly good.

"Are you and Nagasuki Megumi having a secret affair?"

… But I _wasn't_ prepared for _that_.

Immediately I spewed the contents of the tea as my heart leaped to my throat in surprise. My eyes, wide and unblinking, were now focused on my captain-commander who now had jasmine tea decorating his face. We stared at each other in silence for the next few minutes. I was about ready for a demotion. Or a scolding. Or another two-hour lecture on how I should react to abrupt questions…

"… I suppose I was a bit _too_ blunt."

"My deepest apologies," I blurted out, leaping to my feet. "I'll find you a towel!"

Without waiting for him to respond (and without knowing in the slightest where I would find a towel) I found the nearest outlet to the room. Luckily, that happened to be near a bathroom. I disregarded the towel for a second and wet my face, still shocked. What made him think that Nagasuki and I were—no, that was out of the question! But why was I so flustered? My face had never been this warm since Matsumoto dug out those embarrassing old Rukongai pictures of me…

_(Yes, why _were_ you so flustered?)_

'_Not you again,'_ I growled mentally. I grabbed a towel, stood at the door to the tea room, and took a deep breath. Whatever I did from now on, I had to keep my composure.

But did he honestly think that Nagasuki and I were…

I shook my head, banishing the thought from my mind. With a shaky sigh I stepped inside the room.

Im_possible_.

"I'm very sorry," I murmured as I handed the commander the towel.

"Thank you," he said in a tone that almost showed humor. He lightly wiped the liquid from his face. "Allow me to rephrase that."

I sat anxiously across from him.

"What," he began, folding the towel on the table, "is your personal relationship with that girl?"

I almost sighed. No wonder he wanted to ask me this in private; and I was very, very grateful he did. Otherwise, Ukitake and Kyouraku would be like leeches giving me stupid romance advice… "There is no special connection, sir," I responded. "She's a human and I'm a Shinigami. I protect her because of her involvement in our case, but we're nothing more than just barely friends." My lip twitched and I was suddenly uncomfortable.

"Barely friends?" he repeated, nodding. "I see. That's good. What do you think of her, Hitsugaya-taichou, as a person?"

What did I think of her? I have never even thought about that before. Nagasuki had always been… Nagasuki to me. There really was no other way to describe her.

I couldn't turn down his question, though. That much I did know. He was looking at me intently with those tiny eyes that were colored with curiosity. I wonder what thoughts were swarming in his mind right now. "Nagasuki is… an interesting person," I started, unsure of what else to say. Words just began filing from my mouth. "She's nosy, troublesome, dependent, clumsy, and sometimes she talks too much."

Yamamoto's expression didn't alter.

"However," I continued thoughtfully. "She has her perks, as well. She's passionate about what she does, and is easily brought to tears. Her love for her friends is strong and drives her to (attempt to) do what is seemingly impossible, as long as it's for them. I think of her as a capable friend, but it's difficult trying to describe her in words, sir. I think it'd be better if you met her yourself." If Nagasuki ever met Yamamoto Genryuusai, my reputation would be tarnished.

"Hmm. Perhaps I shall one day," he commented, raking a hand through his beard. "Is she fair?"

I stared at him blankly. "Pardon?"

"That is," he said again, a certain glint in his eye. "Is she good-looking?"

Instead of choking on tea, I managed to choke on my own breath. I coughed into my fist. "Um… I… uh…" Was Yamamoto really asking me this?!

_(Crazy old man.)_ Hyourinmaru barked a laugh. _(Looks like you are in a bind now, master.)_

"She's unsightly, then?" Yamamoto inferred.

"No," I sputtered, my face growing, once again, abnormally warm. Nagasuki's features came to mind: her pale skin, her thin, frail frame, her long blue-gray hair, her big, cobalt eyes—and for some reason that only made my face grow warmer. Something was wrong with me. "I mean… I… well, she's not ugly," I mustered pathetically. What was it with all these questions? Was he trying to get something across to me?

Amusement exhibited on his face. He was enjoying this. "I see."

Before he could ask another embarrassing question I spoke up. "Soutaichou, why are you asking me these questions?"

"Forgive me, Hitsugaya-taichou," he responded serenely. "You must think of me as strange right now. I'm simply checking up on you."

That phrase confused me. "Checking up on me?"

"I'm making sure you know what your feelings are toward this girl." Yamamoto propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers. "You do know how I've warned you about your involvement with humans—and especially those of the opposite sex. We mustn't have you develop unnecessary emotions for her."

That's what he was worried about all this time? "Sir, I can assure you that there are no deeper feelings that we share," I stated. "Nagasuki, probably, is more focused on trying to survive rather than harboring affection for me."

"I trust your word, Hitsugaya-taichou—I sincerely do," Yamamoto nodded. "You are aware that Hinamori Momo is now in charge of your reports?"

My lips quirked. That was random. "Yes, sir."

He reached under the table and drew out a manila folder that I didn't know he had been hiding. "And I understand that there has been a massive thunderstorm not too many days ago."

"Yes sir…" My voice trailed off as he thumbed through papers in the folder and pulled out one.

He read, "In her latest report, she states: 'Hitsugaya-taichou left his house without a word to Rangiku-san and me and was gone for the next few hours. Worried, we went searching for him and found traces of his reiatsu inside an abandoned school building at midnight. When we found him sleeping in one of the rooms inside, Rangiku-san and I knew why he had disappeared so suddenly; he had been searching for Megumi-chan, who had been stranded because of the storm, and found her'." He proceeded to slide a picture across the table to me, which my fingers stopped.

I involuntarily bit my lip. Matsumoto must have taken this picture; we were sleeping, a blanket pulling us together, and Nagasuki's head was on my shoulder. I knew it wasn't a good idea to let her do that. Inwardly I groaned. I'm sure those stupid vice-captains sent the picture along with the report as a jest; but they didn't know how strict this man was concerning Shinigami-human relationships. My brows knitted together.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, do you have any feelings for Nagasuki Megumi that delves deeper than that of friendship?"

My fist clenched in my lap impulsively. "No, sir."

"Would that answer change if the question were reversed?"

I wasn't completely sure, to be honest. "I'm not positive, but I'm sure it wouldn't." I heard Hyourinmaru say something, but I quickly tuned him out.

"For her sake, I hope that's true," he said.

I nodded somberly. If she were to hide any feelings for me, she would have to be brainwashed for both her safety and mine. Those kinds of emotions would lead to rash, and often fatal, moves; and Nagasuki's done enough of that in her lifetime. Shinigami and humans weren't meant to mix that way; it was forbidden, especially in Gotei 13.

"Is that all?" I asked.

"I believe it is," Yamamoto replied thoughtfully. "I just needed to make sure."

I nodded slowly. Impossible—there was no way that Nagasuki would think that way about me. Why would she? We were so… different. Our likes and dislikes varied so much. We argue almost every time we talk. She's a human, I'm a Shinigami. So I shouldn't be worried about that. Yet…

Why am I so anxious?

_(Good inquiry.)_

"Is something the matter, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Yamamoto asked, noticing my distant expression.

"No, sir." I shook my head and apologized. "I'll excuse myself. Thank you for the tea—"

_Beep, beep, beep._

I nearly jumped. Instantly my hand flew to my chest. It was my cell phone. I glanced at Yamamoto apologetically. "Sorry," I murmured, flipping open the top. It was Nagasuki. With an aggravated sigh, I turned. "What is it?"

"_Taichou, we've got trouble!"_

I started. "Matsumoto?" I responded, confused. "Why do you have Nagasuki's phone?"

"_I'm wondering that myself! Anyways, you won't like the news I've got for you…" _I could hear another voice—probably Hinamori—in the background.

"What did you do?" I pinched the bridge of my nose.

There was a small pause. _"Um, well, I kind of don't know where Megumi-chan is…"_

"… What?"

"_She's missing, sir. I don't know where she is!"_

"You lost her?!" I shouted, startling Yamamoto and myself. I bit my lip and flash stepped outside the building. "Matsumoto, I told you to keep an eye on her!"

"_I know, taichou, I'm sorry! I woke up late!"_

I growled, smacking my forehead and pacing back and forth. "How do you know she's missing?"

"_Well,"_ she started nervously, _"When I came to check up on her this morning, her uncle was running around the neighborhood calling her name. He mentioned something about Metsuki-chan too. I tried to find her, but her reiatsu just… vanished. I'm serious! I sensed it, but then it just disappeared! I found her phone sitting in the park! Hinamori and I are searching the vicinity for any signs of her but so far we've come up empty…"_

"Great," I murmured. "I tell her to be careful, and she goes and disappears! That girl is the queen of idiots…" I took a deep breath, and I realized something. "Wait. What did her uncle say about Metsuki?"

"_He sounded nervous. He talked like he didn't even know who she was! It was really weird—do you know what happened, taichou?"_

I bit my lip. Has it happened already? "I'll be there as soon as I can, Matsumoto. You and Hinamori wait there."

"_Taichou—"_

I snapped the phone shut. When I turned, Yamamoto stood in the doorway to his house. "Has something happened, Hitsugaya-taichou?" he asked. It looked like he already knew the answer.

"Yes, sir," I responded in a hurry. "I'm sorry, but I have to go back."

"It's no problem," he nodded. "Hurry to the gate. I'll have reinforcements following right behind you."

I bowed at my waist. "Thank you, sir."

As I turned to leave, he called me again. "Remember to keep yourself in check, Hitsugaya-taichou." His tone had a certain tone—a warning.

I didn't turn back to him. "Don't worry."

I ignored the surprised shouts of captains and Shinigami as I blurred past them towards the Senkaimon. Nagasuki was in danger, and I had little to no doubt in my mind that her disappearance was the Bounto's doing. A migraine developed as I thought about the possibilities—and especially with her uncle who seemed to have forgotten Metsuki. That brought another onslaught of questions. What was going on? Why did all this have to happen when I was gone?!

_(Master.)_

I growled. _'Now's not the time, Hyourinmaru.'_

_(I understand. You should not be worried, however; if Nagasuki-san is with that girl, is there really any reason for anxiety?)_

'_There's plenty,'_ I replied in irritation.

_(… That is not the only cause for your worry, is it?)_

'_What are you talking about?'_

_(Master…) _His tone was hesitant. _(When the captain-commander asked you that inquiry about Nagasuki-san… I could not help but think that you were…)_

My brows furrowed. _'What?'_

There was a small pause. _(I could not help but believe that you were lying, master.)_

I leaped through the gate and into the human world, my palms and forehead damp from both anxiety and confusion. I hovered in the air for a second until I confirmed that Nagasuki's reiatsu had, indeed, vanished.

'_Hyourinmaru.'_

_(Yes?)_

A gust of wind followed me as I flash stepped towards the park.

'_I really don't know anymore.'_

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Love So Sweet" by Arashi_

* * *

**A/N:** Not exactly a cliffhanger, but not exactly a satisfying ending, huh? I really need to stop that… but they're so much fun! We finally get to see a change in Toushirou's view towards Megumi—but what will it result to? Now with the law hanging on his shoulders, what will he do? What can he do? And the big question right now: What is Metsuki? Forget Megumi's safety—what about the cute little blondie?! OH THE SUSPENSE!

To make the author really happy, please click on the bottom-left hand button. Thank you.

Oh yeah, and I hope Toushirou wasn't too OOC in this chapter. It was really hard trying to imagine what he'd say in the situations I put him in. Hope it was okay!

Special thanks to:

**aminea88, Kana090 **("Furareta" means "love hurts." And who knows why I chose it? It could be because it has a nice, ominous ring to it. Or it could be because it holds some significance. Or maybe it's just something I used because I suck at thinking up logical titles. Who knows?)**, ih o w a l o n, DragonAlchemist-ArwenElric, Skylite, Hatsukoi Samui **(Thanks for the correction! I was just going with the subtitles in episodes. xP But I think I'll just keep to 'taichou.' It would be kind of weird to suddenly change it after 25 chapters, you know?)**, Mei Fire, Snow Wing **(Thank you very much! Difference is what I aim for!)**, Lulu4ever, Amiellia Angel, xxlemon, xxSHiNJiRU **(Actually, that link didn't work for me either! It makes me sad. My first gift as an author and I can't even get it! Maybe try Photobucket instead?)**, Slothy Girl, Michiko75, erina destiny, anime.storm, JC-WV, Sakiru Yume, rosesRred16, fanny-kun, MangoMandarin **(That really surprised me, actually. Thank you so very much! I'm honored that my story is loved!)**, moogle in paradaisu **(Hey, I'm an author. Am I supposed to be predictable? ;3)**, veittvnt, aoitsuki77, LifesA(censored)ToMe, Naruto-Lover227 **(Well, thinking about how fast I'm going, it just might be longer. xD)**, hitorijinsei3, Minako, Hiei's-Dark-Little-Phoenix, RyuseiStreamGirl, Talye Kendrin **(Yes, he did. Poor Megumi. xP)**, Morbid Mello **(I like twists, don't you?)**, TheKingJingles **(I'd love to. :3)**, invisible-gurl, joster13 **(Yes, that was a long review. And I LOVE long reviews. So thank you very much!)**, Itami-chan, glamouredFaErIe, nonday **(If you die because of me, I'll be very sad.)**, anime0angel, UchihaFanGirl, haku fan1, Feather's Shadow, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! THIS CHAPTER IS FOR YOU ALL!**

Slothy Girl asked a question on how to develop original characters. I started typing and I just kept going and going, so I decided that I would just post it in paragraph form here for everyone who wants advice for me on how I develop my OC's. I'm not perfect and neither are my characters, but I'm willing to give advice to anyone who's planning to write a story with an OC in it. So here it is:

Original characters, especially if they're the main character, is very important. When I made Megumi, the first thing I had to do was make sure she wasn't a Mary-Sue because I know that those are major turn-off's in fan fictions. I had to make her completely normal—as if she were like your next door neighbor. I didn't give her any special qualities, yet I try to make her unique in her own way—and usually I do that through her personality. I gave her interesting strengths AND flaws; for instance, Megumi can play the piano well, but she sucks at anything sporty. Balance your character out; make her believable inside and out. Outward appearance, to some people, affects the outlook of the OC as well. I was on the borderline for Megumi since I gave her blue-gray hair. I suppose that really just depends on your readers. As far as abilities go—and I'm very cautious about this—if you're going to make her extra-strong, you must BUILD IT UP. Don't make her Superman when she first appears, because that's just… no. It's much more interesting, anyway, to watch your own character develop. If she's a human, make her like any other girl you see at Walmart or at the gas station.

If she's a Shinigami… well, don't make her stand out. If she doesn't stand out in the beginning, you can make her stand out little by little as the story progress and it will seem natural. And if she IS a Shinigami, it's best not to make her very high on the ranking scale. For instance, don't make her a captain or a vice-captain. And maybe not even a third seat unless you have a GOOD, BELIEVABLE REASON. And most of those "good, believable reason" aren't good enough, so it's wiser to just stay away from it completely. People, myself included, don't really like OC's who are particularly above other canon characters. "Original characters" are called "original" for a reason. You must keep them original. They aren't supposed to rule over canon characters.

And also a peeve of mine: don't make your characters related to canon characters. I don't care if they're brothers or sisters or third cousins twice-removed—just don't. That makes a HUGE difference to how many readers and reviewers you will get. Believe me, I know.

Peeve #2: No instant relationships. Toushirou doesn't fall in love at first sight—he just isn't that kind of guy. A girl's appearance would matter little to him. I mean, look at Matsumoto. She's gorgeous, and he's with her ALL THE TIME. If you want Toushirou's heart, it must be won through sweat, hard work, and tons of patience.

Now OC'S that AREN'T main characters have more privileges. For instant, Yasuo. He beat Toushirou in a battle, is the leader of a group of Bounto, and controls fire. If that were Megumi, that would be a big problem. With Yasuo, it isn't. Why? Because he's the main villain. Villains, to me, typically always have some sort of talent that makes them eligible to oppose the good guys (which, in this case, was Toushirou); and using that mindset, I created a character that was able to defeat Toushirou and not make it seem stupid. If I were to write that Megumi defeated Yamamoto in a battle single-handedly, you all would hate me and Megumi. But if I were to write that Yasuo had power equal to that of Yamamoto (maybe not stronger, but equal), you wouldn't think it was as bad compared to the last instance. The role of your originals plays a big part in the popularity of your story, as well. The main good OC has little to no privileges when it comes to personality, abilities, and status; the main villain/minor characters have more freedom in their development because they'll most likely be the less liked anyway. Keep that in mind.

I wish you all luck if you plan to write a story. Remember that my views of OC's may differ a LOT from others, and mine are definitely not the perfect OC's. Although, I'm honored that so many people have asked me for advice. I hope it was a help.

… MAN THAT WAS A LOT MORE THAN I PLANNED TO WRITE.

I want more reviews for this. xD

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	26. Believe It or Not

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey guys! Sorry for the later update—I had to make sure this chapter said exactly what I wanted it to say. You'll understand why after reading it. ;3 Hold on to your socks, everybody—because things will just get bumpier from here on!

Thank you so much for the 48 reviews, everyone. It really, really means a lot to me—each and every one. Thank you!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – S I X :**  
_"Believe It or Not"_

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_Opening Theme__: "We Can Make It" by Arashi_

* * *

My consciousness slowly greeted me with an intense pounding of my head and a distant throb in my neck. Despite the fact that I could barely move and I felt like I was being restrained, my lying position seemed to be comfortable enough; it felt like a mattress was under me, and a blanket was thrown over me. My eyes absolutely _refused_ to open and maybe that was a good thing; I really didn't want to see what kind of position I let Hikaru put me into.

"What were you _thinking_ bringing her here…?"

"Hey, this is as good as an opportunity as any."

"We'll get in big trouble if he finds out though!"

"That's _if_ he finds out…"

"Oh, Hikaru…"

"Chill out, Riana. As long as we keep our mouths shut, nothing's going to happen."

The voices were faint, but I could hear them clearly. Consciousness began to dominate again as I flinched from a dim light shining on my face. Where was I? I emitted the only noise that my body permitted; I groaned. It must have looked stupid. I was lying there in a bed after who knows how long, and interrupted someone's conversation with an idiotic and incomprehensive moan. Well, afterwards, instantly the conversing stopped and I was suddenly aware of a presence beside me.

"Thank goodness you're awake." The voice was soft, kind, and familiar. My brain wasn't in the best shape right now so I couldn't really think straight. A gentle hand stroked hair from my face like a mother would. "I was starting to think Hikaru overdid it."

"Oh please." The voice was smooth, yet firm and familiar. Stupid brain. "She's handled worse than a tiny bite…"

"Can you sit up?" the girl asked.

I tried. I honestly did. But my body and mind were currently on bad terms with each other, so I stayed put and attempted to shake my head no. I couldn't even find the voice to speak, and my eyes were still shut. What in the world happened to me? Why was I so weak? The blanket over me felt like it weighed a thousand pounds!

The soft female voice sighed. "Goodness, Hikaru—you _did_ overdo it! Look how weak she is—she's been out for an hour and she can barely move! How much did you take?!" she whispered angrily. The frustration in her voice didn't suit her.

"Enough to make her untraceable," the boy said nonchalantly. "What, you want me to give it all back?"

"Well we can't do anything with her lying here on the brink of death," she murmured sarcastically. "Just give her enough strength to be able to do basic functions, please."

I flinched again. What in the world were they talking about? They took something from me? What did they do, zap my strength? What was going on? Unfortunately, I wasn't strong enough to ask these questions, so I was left contemplating on what little information I had scrapped from their conversation. I came up with two possibilities: one, I was dreaming, or two, I was even more insane.

Maybe it was both.

"Fine. But if anyone else finds us…" the boy's voice trailed off and magnified as he stepped closer. I heard his footsteps stop right beside me, taking the place of the motherly girl. Cold fingertips traced my forehead to behind my head and I was slowly, gently lifted up. Another hand lightly fingered my neck (or more specifically, the place on my neck that seemed to be throbbing the most), and I was barely able to register a feeling of discomfort before I felt yielding pressure on my lips.

I heard a sigh of disapproval in the background as I felt a pair of lips move against mine. And then it clicked. The boy was kissing me.

My eyes immediately shot open and before I could make a move to beat the guy into a pulp, his hands were gone, as was the pressure, and I was gently laid back down. My eyes, finally opened, were now as wide as freaking golf balls as they started into the sloping, paneled ceiling. My head was spinning, reeling with thoughts that had been blocked from me since I woke up. I was finally able to move; I could turn my head, move my fingers and my legs, and the blanket didn't feel like it weighed a thousand pounds anymore. The sudden feeling in my body, inside and out, was so surprising that I was rendered motionless for the next few minutes.

"Hikaru," the girl sighed. "You didn't have to _kiss_ her…"

"You want her screaming her head off?" retorted the boy.

Wearily I sat up, still getting over the shock, and swerved my head in the direction of the voices. They weren't just familiar anymore; I knew exactly who they were. My eyes were still wide and my jaw hung down as Hikaru and Riana's gazes locked onto mine. This initiated another few seconds of silence.

"Hello, Megumi-chan," Riana smiled.

"Morning, sunshine," smirked Hikaru.

My surprise melted into happiness as I literally leaped out of the bed and into the waiting arms of Riana. I squeezed her hard as if there was no tomorrow. "Riana, it's really you!" I exclaimed. When I pulled back and held her by her shoulders, I had a brief flashback to the good old days when Shinigami and Bounto were inexistent. Riana was still as beautiful as I remembered; short, silky black hair and sparkling onyx eyes. I honestly was having doubts that we'd see each other again. "I'm so happy to see you," I said sincerely, holding back tears.

"I'm overjoyed to see you too, Megumi-chan—I really am," Riana replied, the same emotion in her voice. If only this could last forever.

"Hey, don't I get one?"

Our gazes averted to Hikaru, who was impatiently tapping his food against the wooden floor. He had the same bronze-colored hair and electric blue eyes that I remember—and still as good-looking as ever. My eyes narrowed distrustfully at him. "Hey, I'm as much as a bad guy as Riana is," he said, crossing his arms with a crooked smile.

My expression didn't change. "He's right, Megumi-chan," Riana said softly. "We're both in the wrong for bringing you here alone…"

"It's not _that_ I'm angry at him for," I responded icily. Hikaru's reaction was that of surprise as I sauntered to him and glared at him straight-on. "You're a dirty rotten _thief_, Minamoto Hikaru!" I shouted, pounding my fingertip into his chest. "Do you have any idea how important the things were that you took from me?! They're irreplaceable! You jerk!"

Hikaru's brow raised more in surprise than anger at my reaction. "What the heck are you talking about?" he demanded.

My face was growing hot. "Don't play innocent with me! You know exactly what you took!" I insisted, puffing my cheeks stubbornly. "I want an apology! Not that it would help!"

"What are you…" he started. His voice drifted off as he slowly took my words to thought; and suddenly, the scowl on his face gradually curled into a smirk. "Ah, I see now," he said, rubbing his chin with a nod. "You're angry that Toushirou wasn't your first kiss." It was more of a statement than a question.

Riana couldn't suppress a tiny giggle. "I knew you would end up liking him, Megumi-chan…"

"_It's not that!_" I screamed, flushed. "I'm just frustrated that you stole not only my first one, but my second one too! And neither of them was done with my permission! Just because you're an almighty Bounto you think you can steal a girl's most prized possessions…!" Okay, so maybe he did have some rights a Bounto, but still…

"You didn't stop me the first time," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"You freaking come out of the blue with a gargantuan wolf and cut me loose! How was I supposed to react?!" I retorted fiercely. "Why'd you do that anyway?!"

"It was supposed to be some sort of goodbye token. But I guess it was done in vain…"

"Yes, it was!"

Then he had the gall to laugh. He _laughed_! "Why the heck are you laughing?!"

Hikaru's large palm ruffled my hair. "You're like a little kid when you're angry, Megumi—annoying, but so adorable," he cooed teasingly.

I growled and swatted his hand away. "Oh, please! Where are we anyway?! You said you'd take me to Metsuki, now where is she?!"

Yes, Metsuki—she was the reason I had been brought here. At least, that was what I thought.

Hikaru and Riana exchanged glances. "Thanks—you made me lose track of time," Hikaru murmured, gently pushing me back by my shoulders. "We're going to have to explain and move quickly. Riana…"

She nodded, took my hand and led me into another room. Hikaru didn't follow; he strode farther into the hallway.

Now that I was able to think straight, I could fully take in my surroundings. From what I saw in the interior, we were in a wooden cottage—like the ones you see in the middle of the forest. I guessed it wasn't the House of Horrors because that place was a cement-solid mansion. So what was this place? Did Riana and Hikaru live here? And if so, why?

"Riana," I started as she sat me down on a couch in the living room. "I want to ask about… uh, what happened when I first woke up here. What exactly was going on?"

"Well, before we brought you here, we had to make sure no one would follow," she replied, sitting on a chair across from me. A serious gaze was locked onto me and an even more serious tone came from her, "Don't freak out, okay?"

I gulped and nodded.

She sighed. "… He bit you."

I blinked. "… What?"

"In order to make you untraceable, he bit you." She examined my face for a second longer. "Bounto have special bites. We're like vampires in the sense that we have fangs, but they show only when we're biting to attack. Our fangs carry out two different functions: one is to inject, and the other is to feed. Hikaru used the second function on you."

"… He _fed_ on me?"

"… If you want to put it that way, I suppose…" Riana giggled uncomfortably. She was surprised at how calm I was responding. "Usually when Bounto feed on people, they disintegrate. Obviously you're still here. Since we feed only on reiatsu, all Hikaru did was take enough of yours to make it untraceable to the Shinigami. But he took too much and left you weak."

My lips quirked. I was shocked I wasn't jumping off the roof screaming to kingdom come. "But he still… why did he…" I couldn't even bring myself to say it!

"I guess he didn't want to see you in pain," Riana smiled. "There are two ways to give back reiatsu to someone: through another bite, or some other form of mouth contact where it's possible to inject. Hikaru chose the second way because a bite is very painful, especially for injection. You didn't feel pain the first time because he did it quick enough to make you pass out before the pain came. Also, when giving back reiatsu… it's very risky."

"Risky?"

"I mentioned there are two kinds of bites," Riana said, not breaking her gaze from me. "The first one is injection, and that's used under strict surveillance. We're forbidden from using it. Basically, it's like transferring our blood into the person's systems…"

"… And they turn into a Bounto?" I finished.

She nodded. "Whenever we inject with our fangs, there's a high risk of us sending our blood with the reiatsu. So there was really no other painless way."

I was mad at first when Riana told me he had bitten me. But when she explained why it was the best for me, now I suddenly didn't feel like lashing out at him like I did before… I guess the reason I didn't overreact the first time she started explaining was because I was used to weird stuff like this now. I'm such a freak.

"That's really wise, spilling out our secrets to outsiders like that," Hikaru's voice penetrated.

I turned to see his form standing in the hallway; but that isn't what struck me. My eyes widened and my whole body turned. A little blonde head poked out from behind Hikaru, gazing at me with lavender eyes. I leaped out of my seat. "Metsuki!" I exclaimed happily, running up to her.

She stared at me as I leaped at her. And I met with the cold wooden floor with a painful thud. "Eww, don't touch me, human," she hissed, dodging my fatal leap.

I blinked and rolled to face her. She was glaring at me. She was glaring at me! With surprise I jumped to my feet and grabbed her shoulders out of worry. "Metsuki! Don't you know me?! I'm Megumi, your sister! Did they brainwash you?!"

Her glare didn't waver. "Hikaru, please get her off me. She's soiling my clothes."

I bit back a gasp as Hikaru gently drew me to him with his arm. "Well, it's story time," he whispered into my ear as he led me back into the room. My eyes didn't wander from Metsuki—well, who looked like her, anyway. Could it be that she didn't know who I was? What did Hikaru do to her this time? Surely it was Metsuki; she was the same height and looked and sounded exactly the same! Except she was hugging a rabbit plush that I'd never seen Metsuki in ownership of.

The Metsuki look-alike sat on the couch. I made a move to sit by her. She stubbornly turned opposite from facing me and said, "Don't sit next to me. You reek of Shinigami."

A vein popped in my forehead. "What the heck—"

Hikaru chuckled and casually sat me between him and Riana. I glared at him before glaring back at the—now I was sure—imposter. "Who are you?" I demanded. "You're not Metsuki."

"Humph. Glad you finally noticed. What an observant sister you are," she said, petting her stuffed animal. Riana and Hikaru held me back from absolutely throttling her. "First of all, don't compare me to that wimp of a girl. My name is Mimi." She was looking right at my scowling face; and it was then I realized. She was _looking_ at me. Personality wasn't the only thing Metsuki and Mimi didn't have in common; Mimi can see.

"Mimi," I confirmed, trying to keep my cool. I turned heatedly to Hikaru. "I wanted Metsuki, not a prissy look-alike, Hikaru!"

"Believe me, it's best if you met her now," Riana said from the other side of me. Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"You sure lose your temper easily," Mimi observed with an emotionless face. "Screaming and losing your self-control—you're like a monster. No wonder you get in trouble all the time."

"What?!" I shouted as the siblings beside me sighed. "Who do you think you are?! And why do you look exactly like my sister?!"

She was unfazed. "Your sister? Hah. You sure have a lot to learn, Bakemono (1)." Mimi sat in a sophisticated, manner able way. It was like she was a noble. "That wimp that you call your sister is—"

"Her name's Metsuki," I seethed.

Her eyes narrowed. "_Metsuki_ is my older twin."

We didn't break eye contact, but I flinched. "… Twin?" I repeated, questioning what I heard. "That's impossible! She doesn't have a twin!"

"Oh trust me, you wouldn't know," Mimi rolled her eyes. "You weren't even _close_ to being born when we were…"

I growled in aggravation, intolerant of her know-it-all attitude and her crazy story, and rose to my feet. "This is stupid—"

Riana and Hikaru each grabbed one of my hands as I stood. "Wait a moment," Hikaru said, "and hear her out, Megumi."

Mimi sat there with the same uncaring expression on her face and the same haughty eyes glaring at me. Looking at her infuriated me—there was no way that arrogant snob could be related to Metsuki. It was like an insult to her—to my sister. We were wasting time here. With a stubborn huff I sat back down. "Before you continue," I said calmly. "What _are_ you? A Bounto?"

Mimi smirked. I was tempted to shove a paper bag over her head. Looking at her was like looking at Metsuki—and Metsuki did _not_ smirk. My fists clenched on my knees. "Yes, I am," she responded. She was the fifth Bounto.

"I'm not saying I believe your whacked-out story," I affirmed, "but how is it that you and Metsuki can be related and Takuya-oji and I not knowing anything about it?"

"I told you," Mimi said nonchalantly. "Neither of you would've known because neither of you were even born yet. I've been alive for decades."

My brow arched. "But if Metsuki is your twin that would mean…"

"Yes," she said, reading my thoughts. "Metsuki has been alive for decades as well."

"But that's impossible," I countered. "Neither of you look any older than seven."

"I'm a Bounto, remember? Age means nothing to me. I stopped growing when I was seven, and have stayed this way since."

"But Metsuki… would that make her a Bounto too?" My lips pressed hard together. Just saying that made me feel uneasy.

"No, she was a normal girl," Mimi said, her voice drifting off. It was as if she was recalling distant memories. "She was as normal as a human could get. I think her story is more tragic than mine, however."

My palms grew warm. "What do you mean? If Metsuki's not a Bounto, then…"

"Metsuki is not a Bounto, but she had… growth issues. She never grew older physically than how she is now. Despite your thoughts, I'd say she's about… twenty-three now."

Something about her words made me restless. "You refer to her as 'was' and 'had' like it was something in the past."

"Yes. Because Metsuki is 'was' and 'had'."

My head was spinning already. "I don't understand."

"As expected." Mimi ran her fingers through her hair. "Metsuki and I were born and raised here in Karakura just barely a century ago. Our birth parents abandoned us as infants, so we spent our childhood in an orphanage," she paused for a moment to think about what else to say while twisting a strand of hair around her finger. "When I turned five, I started having reiatsu cravings. At first I thought nothing of it, but after a few years—when I was seven—I had lost control of myself and fed on one of the workers there one night. That was when I discovered that something was wrong with me. The only person I told was Metsuki. The other symptom I found was abnormal was my lack of growth since I reached the age of seven, but that was easy to cover up because Metsuki had the same growth problem, albeit naturally. Everyone just thought it was a genetic defect."

I don't know why, but I suddenly I felt that Metsuki was slowly becoming a stranger to me. This story was crazy—too far-fetched and impossible to even try to comprehend. Yet it seemed so… real. Here was Mimi, who looked and talked just like Metsuki. And the strange behavior Metsuki exhibited yesterday might also be explained in this story. So I just kept quiet, grasped Riana's hand, and continued to listen.

"Daijiro Yasuo adopted Metsuki and me when we were fifteen. Metsuki wasn't a Bounto, but I refused to leave her behind. For the next six or seven years I was trained with the other Bounto and I had met and mastered my doll." She subconsciously squeezed her rabbit plush. I assumed that was the dormant form of her doll. "We managed to stay hidden from the Shinigami for a long time."

"And you were found out?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, fortunately."

I blinked. "Then what about Metsuki?"

She sighed. "Metsuki… she never was comfortable staying with us. That was to be expected. She was a human among six predators, and with tasty reiatsu bundled inside her. So occasionally she would leave our hideout to take walks. One night, she was attacked by a Hollow…" she trailed off, as if trying to recall that memory. "But she was saved by a man—a Shinigami.

"Consequently, they became friends… and soon they fell in love. It was a secret at first, but when Yasuo-sama found out about it… I'll never forget that night." Mimi's eyes squinted. "I tried to change his decision, but he threw Metsuki out. He spent centuries trying to keep his group a secret, and wasn't going to let it be foiled by something as foolish as love. About the same time, the Shinigami's captain—which happened to be the headman, Yamamoto Genryuusai—found out about the secret affair. I don't know much of what happened after that, but eventually the Shinigami was exiled."

My fists were turning white, and Riana had to pull her hand away because I was squeezing it so hard. "What happened after that?"

"After the Shinigami died, Metsuki was invited back to live with us. I spent so much time begging Yasuo-sama to let her come back, and he finally agreed… on one condition. That Shinigami had to be killed. I carried that out." She lowered her eyes. "But afterwards, Metsuki… she didn't want to come back, saying that stealing others' lives to prolong ours wasn't right. It was probably the Shinigami who influenced her in that way. She doesn't know it was me who killed him." Mimi scowled. "She killed herself out of anguish and became a Shinigami. However, she abandoned that title and became a rogue Shinigami who lived in this world. She never got over that stupid Shinigami and wanted to carry on his wish, which was to protect her loved ones. And then she received one of those fake bodies and somehow became your sister to start life anew."

My body just seemed to be frozen to my seat. I couldn't blink, I couldn't think—I couldn't even breathe properly. What I just heard was one heck of a story, and not exactly believable. Metsuki… "So you're saying Metsuki has been a Shinigami all this time?" I said barely above a whisper. That was impossible… but thinking logically, it could be. Both Takuya-oji and Metsuki said her growth had always been stunned—she's been that size and shape since I could remember. No one else thought of it, so I didn't either. Metsuki… is a Shinigami? "But she's so fragile…"

"Metsuki wasn't always blind, by the way," Mimi stated quietly. "We were identical in every way. However, the night the Hollow attacked her changed that. The Hollow had a special poison which was used to blind their prey. It was used on Metsuki and her eyesight completely faded. Luckily, she was saved before she was eaten."

My eyes widened. She hasn't always been blind? That would explain the little things she let slip… like how she would know what certain colors or things looked like.

But why did this story sound so familiar?

_Yamamoto-soutaichou is very strict about that rule, especially. I'd never seen it happen, but he accounts of one of his own subordinates who had been involved with a human. Like Urahara Kisuke, he was exiled and the woman was killed… She had gotten too wrapped up in business that she wasn't meant to be wrapped into and got herself killed._

That's right. Toushirou told me this story. That Shinigami was Metsuki's lover… and she was killed. She killed herself. I suddenly felt very queasy. I tried to shake it off.

I stood up. "Megumi-chan?" Riana whispered.

"I… I can't believe you," I stated, staring at the ground. "I'm not going to believe any of it until Metsuki tells me herself."

Mimi shrugged. "Very well."

"Which leads me to my next question," I continued, facing Hikaru. "Where is Metsuki?"

"… I don't know," he admitted, looking away. "But if I were her, I'd be trying to take us down."

I ran a hand through my hair and paced. "Why now? Why did she choose today to disappear?!"

"I don't know," Mimi replied. "Metsuki is an observant girl, so I assume she already knows everything about you and your involvement with us. If you're as close as you make yourselves sound, she probably chose today to try to stop Yasuo-sama… to protect you."

My heart stopped. "What?!" I shouted. "But not even Toushirou…" I bit my lip. Not even Toushirou could beat him.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Hikaru asked as I headed to what I assumed was the exit. He grabbed my arm and spun me around. "If Mimi's right then Metsuki is on her way to Yasuo. Do you actually think he'll let you take both of yourselves out of his pot unscathed?"

"I've been wondering something," I said firmly. "Hikaru, Riana, Mimi—who's side are you on? Why did you bring me here if you aren't going to take me to him? There are a lot of things I don't know, especially after that outrageous story. Do you plan on spilling every other secret you have to me?"

Hikaru grinned at me. Riana gazed at me with a small smile. Mimi shook her head, sighing. "Honestly—neither of you told her?"

I was surprised at her words and gazed at them both. "Tell me what?"

Mimi stepped towards me in a pixie-like motion. "We're on neither the Shinigami nor the Bounto side."

I tilted my head, trying to understand. "Huh?"

Hikaru held my shoulder, his eyes hard and serious.

"Riana, Mimi, and I—we're a resistance, Megumi. A resistance against Yasuo and the other Bounto."

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Love So Sweet" by Arashi_

* * *

**A/N:** (1) Monster.

Do I get a 'whoa'?! I bet none of you were expecting that. I hope it was a surprise. Is Mimi's whacked out story true? Could Metsuki really be a Shinigami? Undoubtedly, this caused millions of more questions to erupt in Megumi's head—the poor girl! And where's Toushirou at this time?

All will be answered soon, so stay tuned!

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

**ih o w a l o n, Minako, nonday, Skylite, anime.storm, erina destiny, xxlemon, rosesRred16, haku fan1, UchihaFanGirl, Lulu4ever, xxSHiNJiRU, Morbid Mello, Snow Wing, viettvnt, anonymous, JC-WV, Feather's Shadow, Naruto-Lover227, glamouredFaErIe, Sakiru Yume, Mei Fire, LifesA(censored)ToMe, aminea88, Slothy Girl, moogle in paradaisu, RyuseiStreamGirl, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, WingsRider, Liana, Zoeraine, DarkShadowMuffin, MangoMandarin10, Itami-chan, aoitsuki77, snowcakes, TheKingJingles, FrostedLilly10, ChibiChibiLove, joster13, Shanni-chan, NiinaKyo, Arelissa, liz, Uchiha Sasha, NazzyJazzy, tphoneyy, NeferNeferi, THANK YOU! I love every one of you guys!**

Thank you so much for your support, and I'm glad you liked the OC guidelines. :) I hope it was a help! Please keep reviewing and supporting me, guys! I'd never had made it this far without you guys!

Oh yeah, someone asked about how I came up with the user name bayo-bayo. It's a pretty simple story, actually… you see, I used to be a Narutard (Naruto-fan: Narutard) and really loved Naruto's punch line "dattebayo"! Originally I wanted to make that my username, but it was always taken so I shortened it to "bayo". When that was taken, I doubled it and created "bayo-bayo". So here I am!

-- bayo-bayo, signing out!


	27. The Cure

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Okay so I forgot to clear up a very important fact in the last chapter: Metsuki's Shinigami guy is NOT Urahara. He's not an important character in the story so I didn't bother to give him a name… but rest assured he's no canon character. The only canon x OC pairing is Hitsugaya and Megumi.

And when I said that Metsuki was 23, I meant that she died when she was 23. So technically she still is 23… give or take a century. xD Well, she has the mindset of one anyway. I know I don't make sense but that's how I roll. ;3

Sorry again for the late update last time—yes, since it's the end of the school year, there have been a lot of things distracting me. ESPECIALLY GRADUATION. So I was out of mind for like two or three weeks preparing a speech because I was the only graduate of my school (yeah, it's that small). But now that's done and over with; I'm officially a high school graduate! Whoo! So expect quicker updates (not guaranteeing them, but look out for them) because I'm planning to finish this story before I go to college this fall. ;3

Thank you all for your reviews, and here's a quick(er) update to make up for last time! Lots of surprises in this one, so keep holding on to those socks! I don't provide spares. ;3

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .  
**_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – S E V E N :**  
_"The Cure"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "We Can Make It" by Arashi_

* * *

"Riana, Mimi, and I—we're a resistance, Megumi. A movement against Yasuo and the other Bounto."

I stared at him blankly, expecting his serious expression to melt into a jolly grin and say 'I'm kidding.' The grip on my shoulder never loosened, and the solemn look on his face never faded. Those almond-shaped blue eyes examined mine, taking in my shocked expression, until finally I snapped out of my trance and took turns glancing at Mimi, Riana, and then back to Hikaru. "… You're not kidding?" I finally asked, carefully scrutinizing Hikaru's face for any trace of a lie.

Curiosity added to his seriousness. "You want me to be?" he countered, confused.

"Wait, wait," I said, pushing his hand off my shoulder and trudging back to the couch with wide eyes. "So you're _not_ kidding?" I asked Riana. "You're really a resistance?"

"Weren't you wondering why you didn't wake up in the House of Horrors?" Riana inquired back, her lips quirking. "This is a refuge for the three of us so we can sit and plan here as an opposition. We've been doing this for nearly four years now, Megumi-chan."

"You talk as if I should know about it," I declared, massaging my temples as they started to throb again. As if they didn't already give me something gigantic and life-changing to think about.

"We don't exactly agree with Yasuo," Hikaru spoke, sitting with Mimi on the other couch. "All he thinks about is himself while bribing the others with false power and possessions. Romeo and Damien are suckers for that."

Damien—he must be the other Bounto.

"We're basically pawns in his own satisfaction. Eventually he plans to abandon the lot of us after his wishes are fulfilled," Mimi added, playing with the doll on her lap.

My head was still swirling after the first statement. They were a resistance… a rebellion against Yasuo's commands? Were they telling me the truth, or were they just trying to fool me into a trap? Would Riana and Hikaru really do that to me? I bit my lip and gazed down, clutching the fabric of my skirt. I didn't know what was true or false anymore. All I could do now was sit and listen to another story. "Speaking of 'his wishes'… how does my family tie into that? My mom wasn't a Bounto, was she?" I asked with a sort of dread. I was truly expecting that. How could another life-altering fact hurt?

"Kyouwa Akina? No, no, no," Mimi shook her head almost humorously. "Your mother was very normal—an average human who you very much resemble. Although I remember her being more level-headed…" She narrowed her eyes at me.

I was surprised. "You knew her?"

"We all did," Hikaru answered distantly, leaning back. "She was like a mother to us all after ours passed away."

My surprise only escalated.

"… And you never told me?" My voice came out as a tiny whisper. I found myself looking down and sort of jealous. My friends knew my mother more than I did, it seemed. I even forgot what she looked like until I saw her again at the House of Horrors. Actually, it was very possible that Hikaru and Riana knew her since birth.

"We're sorry," Riana said sadly. "We wanted to… we honestly did. But she asked us herself not to tell you about her in fear that you might walk down the same path she did…"

I laughed bitterly. "Yet here I am." Hikaru and Riana gazed at me with a small frown. I sighed and subconsciously gripped my skirt. "You know what? It doesn't matter anymore. Can you explain the connection please?"

Hikaru looked away and Mimi nodded. "Yasuo-sama was in love with your mother," she started. I already kind of figured that. "She was the first human who didn't fear him and actually wanted to help him. It wasn't clear whether she returned his feelings, but we knew she held a sort of motherly love over all of us. It made us feel… human again. She was a role model for us because she loved us all as equally as she would love anyone else—and everyone, Yasuo-sama, especially, was drawn to that."

"It didn't help that she was beautiful, either," Riana nodded.

"Another trait you lack," Mimi observed, staring at me again.

"Continue," I said poisonously.

"She was very open about teaching us that we weren't monsters—just special humans," Mimi continued, as if it were a precious memory. "It depended on us whether we would use our traits for good or evil, and encouraged us not to drain other peoples' lives for our sake—very much like a mother would."

Hearing about my mother in this way made me feel both proud and sad at the same time—proud because she was so special and loved by the Bounto, but sad that I never knew this person. Not to the lengths that these people did, anyway. I bit back a longing sigh. I was getting depressed; my own mother was a stranger to me. "Okay, so now I know about her life with you guys. Then what? How did I come into the picture?"

"Well… even though she was with us a lot of the time, she was still a normal human, you know?" Hikaru responded, gazing up at the ceiling. I could see that he was watching the past in his eyes. "She had a family, she went to school, and she had other friends to hang out with. Eventually… she grew up and got married to your father, Nagasuki Tatsuya."

"Yasuo was devastated," Riana said. "Akina was the first and last woman he ever loved, and what added to the blow was the fact that Tatsuya was an old acquaintance of his when he studied in college. He did schooling when he was bored. Anyway, it wasn't easy for him to let go. But she loved Tatsuya, so everyone else was happy as long as she was." She paused and smiled, gazing at me. "And a year later, you were born."

"You were so cute as a baby," Hikaru cooed teasingly.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Afterwards, the new family of three moved away to America. Yasuo-sama was still both depressed and infuriated with your father, whom he thought was his friend. Throughout all the years that he and Akina have known each other, he was planning to eventually confess his love to her and turn her into a Bounto."

"He would occasionally visit her and try to convince her to come back to us, but she refused. 'I can't be a mother to you all forever,' she said. 'Eventually you'll have walk on your own and make your decision to be or not be human'. I don't think she ever knew that Yasuo-sama loved her," Riana sighed sadly. "She never was the most observant when it came to others' feelings towards her."

"He became obsessed," Hikaru continued. "He would stalk her, collect anything that connected to her—even steal some of her things."

"And then the accident happened," Mimi finished. "He blamed your father for that, even though it was his own. When your parents were driving down the mountain-side, he stood in the path to try to talk to her; your father was surprised and swerved to dodge him, but…" She gazed at me. I didn't notice; I had been staring at my skirt the whole time.

Yasuo… he was the one who steered my parents to their death. My fists clenched tight in my lap. Riana's hand fell on my shoulder.

"I know the story," I sighed. My mind traced back to the House of Horrors incident and the story the painting on the wall portrayed. It all made sense now. "But still, why am I connected?"

"You are the ultimate addition to Yasuo's collection, Megumi," Hikaru replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're her blood daughter. You're like her in almost every way; and you look exactly like her too."

I narrowed my eyes. "But I'm not her."

"It doesn't matter to him," Riana said. "None of us knows what he hopes to accomplish, but I believe he plans to kidnap you in the near future and turn you into a Bounto to replace Akina."

"Metsuki probably knew from the beginning," Mimi said quietly, scowling at the thought of her sister. "She knew who Akina was, and also knew of Yasuo-sama's obsession with her. It's very possible that she became your 'sister' on purpose, to protect you on the day that Yasuo-sama planned to make his move. Apparently, she grew fond of you."

"We all loved Akina," Hikaru said. "And when you and your uncle moved here to Karakura, Riana and I immediately wanted to see what you were like. We were originally spies sent by Yasuo to watch you, you know."

I gazed at him and his sister in surprise. "You guys were… spying on me all this time?! Since elementary school even?!" I exclaimed. Hikaru laughed.

"We went along with Yasuo-sama's plan at first, but then we decided we didn't want to hurt you." Riana smiled at me. "It was just like Akina's teachings: we didn't have to be monsters if we didn't want to be—we could be human. At least, as human as we could be. So Hikaru and I decided to use our powers to protect those we love."

"It's tricky trying to keep it a secret from him," Hikaru said. "He met Akina when she was your age, so naturally when he saw you after you've grown up, the obsession he'd been hiding resurfaced and it made him blind to others, and thankfully to our rebellion."

I was shocked. "You guys plan to turn against Yasuo… for me?" I choked up on the last part. "You guys…" I whimpered, wiping tears from my eyes. I clung to Riana out of habit. "I knew you weren't bad!"

"In the mansion, we had to make sure our act was flawless. That's why I pretended to be so cold to you guys. I'm pretty good, huh?" Hikaru asked with a teasing pride.

I smiled at him and looked at Mimi. "But then… why did you join?"

She huffed and turned haughtily away. "Don't get me wrong—it's not for you," she said. "But… while Akina stayed with us, she gave us this sort of hope that maybe…" Mimi gazed distantly at the ground before looking at me again. "Maybe we don't have to be Bounto anymore."

I blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Being with Akina made us feel like… like there's a cure for us," Hikaru said, trying hard to word his thoughts carefully. "As if maybe there was a way that we don't have to live on reiatsu anymore."

"As in…" I trailed off, eyes widening. "As in an antidote for you not to be a Bounto anymore?!"

"Yes," Riana smiled. "It was just a feeling, and maybe nothing more. But we're beginning to think that maybe there's a way that we can live as normal humans again. We've lost our time and biological surroundings, but now is better than never."

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "What made you think this way? Do you have any idea how you might be able to get a cure?"

"Well," Riana answered. "We think that you might be somehow linked to it, Megumi-chan."

More confusion. "Huh? Why?"

"Because for some reason, although you have a lot of reiatsu…" Hikaru said, gazing at me. "We don't crave your energy. If you were someone else, you would probably be long dead right now."

I gulped; Riana shot a glare at Hikaru. "We don't know why, Megumi-chan, but your overflow of reiatsu doesn't affect us in any way. It was the same with Akina, too."

My mouth had formed a small 'o' at their words. They think that I might be able to somehow cure them from their curse? Me, a weak and bumbling human? What in the world could I do? I'm my mother's daughter, but things like this just don't run in the family, do they? We may look the same and share the same blood, but we weren't the same person! Do they really expect me to be able to help them out?

"I don't know if that's part of Yasuo-sama's intentions for capturing you, but it's better to assume than to act blindly," Mimi said. "We brought you here to warn you that Yasuo-sama plans to make his move very soon. He may be blind in many ways, but he's crafty and acts unexpectedly."

"You bit me and brought me here when you could've just told me this at my house?" I asked.

"Well, we didn't want your Shinigami buddies to find us and start a World War 3," Hikaru said.

"Oh." That's right—the Shinigami wanted to obliterate the remaining Bounto. I could see why… but after seeing this new side of the Bounto, I wasn't sure if I wanted that. Riana and Hikaru were my best friends, and Mimi… well, she was a brat, but she has some good in her. Maybe. If some of the Bounto weren't as bad as people thought they were, would they still deserve death for something they had no control over?

"So don't tell them about us or about anything else we told you," Riana said. "We're still enemies to them. The only other person who knows about us would be you, Megumi-chan."

"We just wanted you to know that we're not evil," Hikaru added. "And we figured you should understand why you're connected to a madman like Yasuo."

I nodded numbly, still thinking about everything that's been told to me in the past hour. Trying to understand this right now would be like trying to understand Geometry… absolutely impossible.

"But now that we've said everything we wanted to say," Mimi said, "You should go now. Don't you want to find Metsuki?"

My head snapped up at the name. "Metsuki," I breathed in horror. I stood up. "I've wasted so much time here! I've got to find her!"

And unexpectedly, my world spun. It caught me by surprise and I kneeled to the ground, feeling very woozy.

"Megumi-chan?" Riana asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm suddenly…" I started, shaking my head, "I'm suddenly really tired."

"Weakling," Mimi muttered.

"That fraction of reiatsu only lasted this long," Riana observed. "Hikaru, give it all back to her."

"What? Now?" All of their voices were growing dim. "But if her energy just suddenly sky-rockets—"

"It'll be fine," Riana said confidently.

"How many times have I heard _that_ before?" Hikaru sighed as he stepped closer.

I stood up, and tried to step back. It was very wobbly—it was like the floor was a whirlpool. "No," I said, grabbing the couch. "I don't want you to do it again…" My voice was weak. This was ridiculous; the fatigue hit me so suddenly. A little warning would have been nice…

Hikaru sighed. "You want a bite instead?" he asked. I cringed. "Honestly Megumi, now is not the time to be worrying about losing your first kisses…"

"They're important to me, okay?" I murmured.

"You want to walk around how you are now, then?" he retorted.

He had a point. But still…

I heard Mimi get off the couch. "Call me when you're done," she yawned. I heard her light footsteps tread back into the hallway.

"Come on," he said, holding my shoulders. "If it'll help, don't think of it as a kiss. Think of it as… uh, an oxygen tank."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks." I took a deep breath, disappointed that I was now about to lose my third kiss—err, oxygen tank. "Fine, just hurry up with it."

"You're hurting my feelings, you know," he replied humorously. I huffed and closed my eyes. He chuckled softly and his cold hands gently cupped my face; he inclined.

When our lips connected, at first I felt disappointed in myself for letting him do it, especially now that I was consciously aware of what he was doing. But after half a second of humiliation, I began to literally feel energy flowing into me as if I were being spoon-fed. Not even a full second passed before my body began to regain its strength, and warmth engulfed me. Naturally my body wanted more of its stolen reiatsu, and I found myself pressing closer to Hikaru to get as much as I could.

It felt wrong—it really did. But the reiatsu inside me craved more.

I don't know how long it lasted. But suddenly, in the background, I heard a door burst open and footsteps intruding the room.

"Nagasuki!"

My eyes opened wide and my heart leaped.

Toushirou.

Immediately I pushed back from Hikaru, sucking in real oxygen. My body felt amazingly light; Hikaru really did take a lot of my energy. I no longer felt anywhere near exhausted—I felt like I could run a marathon.

But now I was scared—terrified. My hand rested on my throbbing heart as I slowly brought my head up to meet Toushirou's eyes.

It felt like an icy wave swallowed me, freezing me where I stood.

His teal green eyes were bulging, gaping at me with agitation and confusion. He didn't even seem to acknowledge the Bounto in the room. There was more than one emotion in those eyes, but the one thing I could definitely point out as dominant over the rest was anger.

He was furious—at me.

"Toushirou…" I whispered his name almost inaudibly.

"You're more aware of her reiatsu than I expected," Hikaru spoke up, grinning. "Welcome."

Toushirou's gaze never moved from me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break the contact. Thankfully I was snapped out of my trance as Hikaru threw his arm around me in a half-hug. "Sorry I kidnapped her, it was quite essential to our plans."

His eyes only narrowed and I futilely attempted to push away from him. "Hikaru—stop," I murmured. I looked at Toushirou again. "Toushirou, I can explain…"

"When your reiatsu suddenly appeared, I thought you were in trouble again," Toushirou said sourly, glaring only at me. "But I suppose I was wrong."

"No, it's not like that—" I tried to explain. Why did things have to be this way? Why did Toushirou have to see us?! If I hadn't reacted to the suddenly energy flow in my body, it may not have looked like I kissed him willingly… ugh, why am I so stupid?! "I didn't…"

Hikaru's fingers grabbed my chin and I was forced to look at him. There was a hidden message in his eyes: _I've got an idea. _"You're not a bad kisser, either, Megumi," he smirked. He inclined again; I screamed.

"Stop!" I yelled.

Suddenly he leaped back just a blade down-slashed right beside me. When I looked, a line of ice flowed from the tip of the sword, making ice sculptures out of everything in its path. Toushirou's back now faced me, and he pointed his zanpakutou at Hikaru. Riana bounced to his side, her eyes flitting in worry to me. My body trembled as a frigid aura seeped from his reiatsu. "Toushirou…"

He didn't turn to me, nor did he answer me. I was afraid touch him in fear that I'd become an ice sculpture too.

"I don't want to fight, especially with you outnumbered two to one," Hikaru said casually. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to. Megumi's pretty tired from the adventure she had today." His eyes turned to me. "Yasuo's about to initiate his plan anyway, and Megumi's the prime target. I suggest you regroup."

I couldn't see his face, but I've never seen Toushirou so angry before—almost to the point that I was confused. He remained silent as he sheathed his sword and stalked towards the door. I don't think he even stopped to consider them as potential liars.

I was almost crying. I don't think anyone's ever been this mad at me before. I glanced at Riana and Hikaru. Riana gave me a small smile. Hikaru smiled apologetically and mouthed 'sorry.'

I trotted after Toushirou and closed the door behind me. When I looked around outside, I realized we really were in a forest, and it was freezing.

Toushirou didn't wait for me and kept walking. I think him just being out here made it even colder. I almost didn't want to follow, but I swallowed hard and caught up to him until I was a couple feet behind him. He was walking fast; his fists were curled so tightly that I swore they could shatter a tree into splinters. "Toushirou…" I murmured. He didn't respond. "Toushirou, I—"

"Are you sure you don't want to join them?" he asked icily, not turning to face me. "You didn't seem to treat them as enemies..."

"It wasn't what it looked like," I said softly, trying hard not to break down crying. "I really didn't want him to—"

"That's not what it looked like to me," he interrupted. "And I thought you had self-respect…"

That one hurt.

The leaves and twigs crunching under our feet was suddenly very loud. I gathered up courage and gently grabbed his arm to turn him around. "Toushirou, listen—!"

He snapped his arm away and swerved around, eyes burning into mine. I bit my lip to keep from yelping. "No, _you_ listen," he seethed, stepping forward.

For the first time in a long time, I was afraid of him. Not even fear of death equaled to the fear I felt now.

I stepped back, terrified.

"I told you, before I left, to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. And not even a day afterwards I get a call from Matsumoto, from _your_ phone, saying that you had disappeared. I come back and we spend hours trying to find you because not only did you disappear, but so did your reiatsu." He wasn't shouting. But the tone in his voice was much more threatening, much colder, than anything I have ever heard before. It was much worse than any lecturing tone or yell.

He kept walking towards me and backed me into a large tree. My heart was thudding against my ears.

"When your reiatsu suddenly shot up out of nowhere, I thought you were in danger. I sent Matsumoto and Hinamori to find your sister while I tried to find you, and when I do…" he trailed off, growling. "I discover that your reiatsu didn't shoot up because of danger. It shot up because you decided to have a moment with that foul-mouthed Bounto."

I shook my head vigorously. "No, that's not what happened!"

"What struck me the most was that you probably knew exactly what you were doing. Do you have any inkling about how worried I was—how we all were? I was honestly afraid that you had managed to get yourself killed, but obviously you're alive and well. If you're going to make me fret over stupid, meaningless things, then—"

Blood rushed to my face.

"Stop it, Toushirou!" I found myself yelling. "That's not what happened!"

"Why should I believe you?" he growled, glaring at me with flaming teal eyes. "For all I know now, you could be working with them secretly."

It was like lightning struck me. I stepped forward and around him so that I wasn't backed up against the tree anymore. We never broke eye contact. I wasn't paying attention, but we were now quite a ways from the cottage. We were surrounded completely by forest.

"… You _honestly_ believe that?" I whispered.

"I _honestly_ don't know what to believe about you anymore," he replied acidly.

I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. But my mind was working just fine, and I couldn't help but wonder. Toushirou was infuriated—that much was obvious. But why did that anger seem to linger around the fact that Hikaru and I kissed? My eyes narrowed at Toushirou; he returned my glare with four times the intensity. I was still scared out of my mind, but I was just as furious as he was now. "You have no idea what you're talking about," I hissed.

"Don't I?" he replied with the same poison in his voice. "Whose side are you on anyway, Nagasuki?"

"You're really asking me that?" I questioned him, trying to make myself look bigger. He still had me by a couple inches, but I didn't care. My frustration was fueling me—I thought I would combust. Suddenly the realization came to me. "You don't trust me anymore." It was a statement.

He didn't back down in the slightest and got right in my face. The bitterest scowl hung on his lips. "Give me _one_ reason why I should."

Everything that happened after that was a blur to me, all done by a rush of emotions.

I shoved him to the tree I had been previously backed into. My hands were firm, ferociously trembling on his broad collarbone. His eyes widened; mine closed. The gap between us disappeared very quickly, before I could even think.

And my lips met with his.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Love So Sweet" by Arashi_

* * *

**A/N:** Haha, so here you finally have it. The first kiss between Toushirou and Megumi, but not exactly on good terms with one another. Things are finally heating up between them! Were you surprised? I hope so! So many questions answered, but even more have arrived! Aren't I cruel?!

Special thanks to:

**KajiMori, The Sun Deity, ih o w a l o n, WeHoldTheseTruths, Naruto-Lover227, DarkShadowMuffin, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, erina destiny, rosesRred16, snowcakes, NeferNeferi, Limpidly Complex, viettvnt, flora236, xxlemon, glamouredFaErIe, aoitsuki77, Kana090, fanny-kun, Sakiru Yume, invisible-gurl, MangoMandarin10, FrostedLilly10, moogle in paradaisu, Lulu4ever, tphoneyy, Skylite, JC-WV, InnerSakura14, TsukiKishuko, UchihaFanGirl, RyuseiStreamGirl, Uchiha Sasha, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

I say this all the time, but honestly, you guys keep me going. Whenever I see a new review for my chapter I'm always, always motivated to write and write and write. I really appreciate all of your nice (and some criticizing) comments. You guys are all jewels to me. :3 Once again, thank you all so much!

Someone asked about my schedule for updating. I must say that I can't give you an accurate estimate on how much I update. I'm like a roller-coaster author; sometimes I write on adrenaline and can have five chapters up in one week, or I can get lazy as I head up with the plot and end up updating almost a month later. It really depends on how I feel, so I guess the only answer I can give you is… each update time is a surprise! Sorry. But I try to update at least once a week!

Also, one of you guys asked about how to make good details to your story… hmm. I took some time thinking about this actually, because I really didn't know how to explain it—and I still really need to work on this, myself. What I do when I write stories, especially if it's a series story, is try to explain, with full detail, the surroundings and people in order to make them seem more real. Use a dictionary and a thesaurus—and when you describe things, don't use the same word (or commonly-used words) over and over again, because it gets repetitive and boring. Expand your vocabulary and plug in new words to describe something; it makes the writing more elegant and intelligent-looking, in my opinion. Example: "The floor was made out of wood." That's simple enough. To make things more interesting, use adjectives and maybe even switch the words around: "Smooth, paneled wood lined the floor of the cabin." See the difference? Another tool you can use to describe things is metaphors and similes so that the reader can even more so picture what's going on. Something you have to be careful about though is not describing things in so much detail that it turns into jargon (meaningless writing; gibberish).

But all in all, it really depends on your style of writing. When I wanted to learn more about writing in a successful and alluring way, I just read some of my favorite authors' books again to figure out how they drew me into their story and tried to apply their techniques into my own story. I used Stephenie Meyer (the very popular _Twilight_ series authoress) and DJ MacHale (the _Pendragon _series author) as my sources—they're my favorite authors. I can never write as wonderfully as them, of course, because I believe everyone has their own way of writing; I just used them to figure out what my style is. So in a way, studying like that helps you both to write and to learn more about yourself.

I know everything is a bit vague, but all it boils down to is to practice. I was a _horrible_ author when I first started writing about two years ago, when I was fourteen. Maybe start with a one-shot or two, and if you get an idea that's just begging to known, go for it! Practice, practice, practice, and you'll be another Shakespeare. More modern and popular, though, of course. ;3 I hope this helps!

Please keep reviewing everyone!


	28. Misty Battleground

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

OH. MY. FLIPPING. GOODNESS. You guys are wonderful—too wonderful. I almost want to cry.

SIXTY-FLIPPING-FIVE. That's how many reviews I got for the last chapter. Thank you guys SO MUCH, and I'm so sorry for the wait. This is a slightly longer chapter, and I hope you like it. My rant will continue afterwards. Stay tuned! xD

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .  
**_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – E I G H T :**  
_"Misty Battleground"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "We Can Make It" by Arashi_

* * *

You know that intense feeling of regret after doing something you knew you weren't supposed to do—even when you knew it wasn't necessarily your fault? Yeah, I was kind of feeling that now. Okay, I was feeling that regret a _lot. _Don't you hate it when that happens? When your emotions get the better of you and before you realize it, you were in a situation that was impossible to rewind?

Well, if there was one thing I learned after my huge mistake, it was that I realized I wasn't mad at Toushirou. If that were the case, I would've punched him rather than kissed him because, you know, a kiss isn't really my way of releasing my anger. Anyway, I could never be mad at Toushirou. No, I was mad—furious, even—at the idea he proposed. He actually thought that I was on the Bounto's side. How ridiculous of a thought that was; so ridiculous, even, that when he really did started believing that, I was both mad and sad at the same time and it resulted in this very awkward predicament. It hurt me to think that Toushirou thought that I would so easily switch sides when I liked him so much. It was true that he didn't necessarily know that I basically worshiped him, but it was true. What was worse is that it wasn't his fault at all that he thought that way; he had every right, every reason, to believe that what he saw back there questioned my allegiance.

I didn't have anything to prove to him that I was on his side, so when he told me to give him a reason to believe me… well, immediately my brain responded, "Hey, why not kiss him?" And then you know the story.

But for some reason, I thought of this more as a confession than an improvisation.

I remember the look of pure shock Toushirou exhibited as I threw myself at him. His eyes were wide and his body grew as stiff as a rock as I pinned him against the tree with vigorously trembling hands. It still befuddled me as to why he didn't shove me away and give me a taste of Hyourinmaru yet. The more the seconds passed the more I came to realize how deeper I've dug my grave—and it was _quite_ deep. My eyes shot open to meet with his gorgeous teal eyes, which were currently fastened on my face as if I'd grown another eye.

Seeing them brought me back to reality, like they usually did. How long had I been hanging on him? And why wasn't he pushing me away? The look in his eyes—he appeared more or less confused rather than angry.

My face flushed and I disconnected our lips, my mouth hanging slightly ajar as we held eye contact. Moments passed with neither of us saying a word or even a sound; and finally my mind caught up with my body and I yelped and jolted backwards. He remained absolutely statue-like as I spun to face the opposite direction. I swear my face was about to erupt. "I. Am. So. _Sorry!_" I exclaimed breathlessly, holding my scorching cheeks. Oh my gosh. I can't believe that just happened. I can't believe I just… "I wasn't thinking straight! I'm so sorry—my body just totally moved on its own and I… I'm really, _really_ sorry!"

I was ready for whatever punishment he'd give me. Whether it be a sword through my chest, a beat down, a line of insults—I didn't care. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for the pain; I heard the crunching of twigs and leaves brush past me, and I opened my eyes to see Toushirou stalking away. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until I was gasping for it. My hand patted my chest anxiously, and I was relieved to see that I had no chain dangling from it. I was alive.

I stood there in my shock for a few seconds before running after him. "Hey, wait!" I called. "You… you aren't going to say anything? No beating, no Hyourinmaru, no nothing…?"

"I'm getting plenty of that stupid dragon…" I heard him mumble. I don't think he meant for me to hear that, so I ignored it. "Let's just go," he said to me, running his slender fingers through his hair. He sounded annoyed—I wasn't surprised. His was voice was soft. "They're probably waiting for us."

I was appalled. "You… you believe me then?" Did the kiss really work?

He didn't answer me for a few seconds as he seemed to be lost in thought. I kept my eyes anxiously on him. "Suppose I did," he finally said, not looking at me. His tone was unreadable. "Then what was that little show back there all about?"

I nibbled anxiously on my lip. I was hoping he wouldn't ask me that question so soon—the one about why I was doing what I was doing. I promised Hikaru and Riana that I wouldn't tell the Shinigami about their resistance or about the abilities they had, but what do I do? Should I tell Toushirou? If the Shinigami knew about them, what would they do? Would they still try to hunt them down and kill them? Toushirou wanted to know everything, but if I didn't tell him what was going on then it still wouldn't hurt him right? The resistance was a fight against Daijiro Yasuo, not the Shinigami. Not telling him wouldn't give him a disadvantage on anything.

However, not spilling the beans to Toushirou meant it would only make it ten times harder for him to trust me…

"About that…" I started, swallowing hard. I narrowed my eyes, trying to discover the best choice. "I can't tell you. I'm sorry." I finally sighed. No, I couldn't tell him. It shouldn't hurt him if I didn't.

"How coincidental," he nonchalantly responded, as if he were expecting that answer. "You expect me to continue trusting you blindly then?" Toushirou glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. I averted his gaze and looked down, shaking my head. He sighed. "Honestly, Nagasuki—"

"Please believe me when I say I'm not against you or the Shinigami, Toushirou," I pleaded. "I can't say anything now, but really, the last thing I would ever do is turn on you." I'd rather die. "There's no proof of my honesty and it's really selfish of me to ask you to trust me without any but… it's the truth."

I heard him softly exhale, and he abruptly paused. Surprised, I glanced up at him—and for the first time in a long time it felt like, he stared back at me. Looking into his face reminded me of how much of an effect those eyes had on me—the big, gorgeous teal eyes that I'd grown to adore. It took every ounce of my strength to not melt into disgusting goo on the ground. Perspiration gathered on my temple as he carefully scrutinized my face. If he only had a glimpse of the power his stare had, I had no doubt that he could rule the world. Well, the world's female population, anyway. I tried not to gulp.

He finally closed his eyes, a satisfied look crossing his face, and he turned away from me, rummaging his hand through his hair again. Oh, the studios would honestly kill to have him as their model... "On one condition," he said, not making eye contact again. An uncharacteristic shade of pink colored his cheeks. His eyelids drifted half-way. "About what happened back there…"

Now I knew why he was pink. I soon joined him. "My lips are sealed." That felt awkward. Maybe I shouldn't have used 'lips' as part of the expression…

"Good." The tone in his voice hinted at relief. "Well, now that that's settled," he added, turning to walk again. "Let's get going. I hate making others wait on me."

I bounced after him. "So… you'll trust me then?"

Toushirou inhaled deeply. "You always were a horrible liar…" he quietly said as he exhaled, twitching as if he had a headache. "I suppose." That was simple.

I grinned brightly. "You are _the_ best Shinigami in the world, Toushirou."

"I bet that wouldn't have been the case if I had said no," he responded, crossing his arms over his chest and side-glancing accusingly at me.

I laughed. "You'll always be the best to me, Toushirou," I said, trying to fake an overly-sweet voice. He believed me—he actually believed me! I really was the luckiest girl in the world to know this character.

"You will tell me eventually," he stated after a few seconds.

"I know."

"If I find that you're lying to save them, Nagasuki, I won't be so merciful."

"You can trust me."

He rolled his eyes at first, but then his expression became thoughtful—brooding. "Nagasuki," he said suddenly, his voice drifting.

"Hmm?"

He seemed to flinch at a distant memory and spent a few more seconds thinking. "How do you feel about me?"

The smile, along with my blood, instantly vanished from my face. Did I hear him right? "Wh-What?"

"What are your feelings towards me?" Toushirou repeated.

No, I heard him right. And I tried not to hyperventilate.

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. He didn't just ask that. No, he _didn't_ just ask me how I felt about him…

"Um… ah… err…" I was suddenly aware of the time-bomb I had become, about to explode into insanity. "You're… serious?"

He didn't respond.

I gaped at my feet. What do I say? Do I tell him that I freaking love him more than anything in the world, or do I lie and tell him that he's just a friend to me? My poor lip was being eaten as I tried to settle my thoughts. What brought that question on, anyway? Sure, I kissed him, but Toushirou didn't strike me as the guy who would ask me—or any girl—a question like that, so upfront, even if he was a straightforward guy. My heart reverberated wildly in my chest and I tried swallowing to help quell it. It didn't help.

If the awkward silence or the kiss back there didn't answer him, I wasn't sure if I could.

But he kept walking, patiently waiting, not even urging me to answer. "Um… I…" What should I do? Should I tell him? Ugh, why did he have to ask me _now_ of all times?! We should be looking for Metsuki, not trying to embarrass me as I wonder how the heck I should respond to his sudden inquiry. I didn't want to tell him like this… not when I knew we couldn't work out…

And he probably didn't think of me that way anyway.

But I couldn't lie to him. He could see right through me… "Um… I—"

"Ooooii! Toushirou!"

Toushirou and I both spun at the protruding voice. He growled in aggravation and I sighed in relief—thank goodness. I nervously glanced up at the male; he seemed distracted enough. I was glad; I knew I was far from ready to let my feelings explode.

But who was it that saved me from utter embarrassment?

I saw a black blur shooting through the trees, coming from the direction we had been walking towards. I blinked and subconsciously stepped closer to Toushirou, who only sighed and mumbled something under his breath.

Suddenly all was quiet; and then I saw a flash of orange, and the blur stopped right before my eyes. I leaped back in surprise.

He was tall, dressed in the normal Shinigami garb, and had a huge zanpakutou strapped to his back. Most people were taller than me, but I had to crane my neck to look at his face. The shade of orange on his head reminded me of Rangiku, but his was a lighter tint. For some reason, he looked kind of familiar. "Yo, Toushirou! I've been looking all over for you!" he greeted with a casual lifting of his hand, a grin on his face. He didn't look or sound that older either—maybe he was in high school?

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Hitsugaya-taichou before you start doing it, Kurosaki?!" Toushirou asked in an annoyed tone, massaging his temple. For some reason I had the feeling that he's been repeating that line. "Did Matsumoto call you?"

The guy totally disregarded Toushirou's first response and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Yeah, she's waiting with the others that way. You were late, so they sent me to look for you."

Toushirou bobbed his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sorry. We'll head there now."

At the word 'we'll' the orange-haired stranger turned his head to acknowledge me. "You must be the girl Rangiku-san was talking about," he observed. "Megumi, right? Doesn't your uncle know my dad?"

I blinked at him. "Does he?" Oh, wait. Duh. "You're… Kurosaki Ichigo? The substitute Shinigami?"

"That's me. Didn't think we'd officially meet like this," he nodded with a grin.

"Come on, let's get moving," Toushirou cut in, walking past us. Naturally, I bounced after him. He sounded like he was in a bad mood. "We've already wasted enough time dawdling here."

"Sure. But how's she going to…?" Ichigo questioned, motioning towards me.

"We'll meet you there, Kurosaki," Toushirou said.

Ichigo paused for a moment before shrugging. "Okay. See yah," he said. And without another word, he disappeared.

I watched him leave before turning back to the white-haired male. "Um, Toushirou—" He caught me completely off guard as his arm looped around my waist, pulling me to him. "Wah—!" I yelped, my heart accelerating as fast the ferocious blush consuming my face. Despite knowing what he was going to do, I tried desperately to get away from our awkward position. "Hey, wait—"

And in an instant, we vanished.

* * *

He really needed to start _warning_ me before he started flash-stepping. I don't get motion sickness, but the after-effects of a nice gravity and logic-defying sprint really changed that. As I felt Toushirou's precise footing maneuver us through the foliage, I tried to shut my eyes to help cancel out the oncoming dizziness. Unfortunately, I figured out that only nauseated me after a while and I had to keep my eyes open during the whole trip. There was nothing like traveling faster than what was thought as impossible—especially through the forest. As exhilarating as it was in essence, it was also terrifying. There was always that fear that we were going to hit a bump—or, rather, charge right into one. It was a good thing I was with Toushirou; it was hard to imagine him being clumsy. If he had been someone else, I would probably find my torso wrapped around a tree branch, knowing my luck…

Well, that was a new way to view Toushirou. He was my good luck charm.

It was a good guess that we were heading to where Rangiku and Momo found Metsuki. I really hoped they did; I did disappear for that reason, after all. But the more I thought about my sister, the more I began thinking about what Mimi said to me—that Metsuki was a Shinigami. I didn't want to believe it, I honestly didn't. But for some reason, deep inside me… I didn't doubt that. Did thinking that Metsuki was a Shinigami make me a horrible sister? That I believed she was dead? No—but I would be a horrible sister for not noticing. I mean, I've already been hanging around Shinigami for a couple months; surely I would've noticed that Metsuki wasn't human, right?

If I had only known sooner, maybe I could've stopped her from vanishing…

Toushirou and I didn't say anything for who knew how long. It wasn't an awkward silence though; we were both lost in thought. I was thinking about Metsuki and Toushirou… well. He's Toushirou—I could never tell what he's thinking. I occasionally heard him grumble something under his breath, as if he were talking to someone. Now that I think about it, earlier he _did_ say he was "getting plenty of that stupid dragon". Was he talking about Hyourinmaru? I glanced up at him, now very curious. I was grateful that my thoughts had momentarily side-tracked. "Toushirou."

I seemed to surprise him, because his grip on me tightened in reaction. "What?"

"Can you talk to Hyourinmaru?" I asked.

His gaze flitted to my face, seemingly startled by my question, and looked back ahead. "Yes. A Shinigami's zanpakutou is his fighting partner, so they often communicate. No one can hear their zanpakutou's voice besides its owner, though."

"That's… pretty cool," I mused, contemplating the thought. "Tell him I say hi," I giggled.

He went silent for a few seconds and suddenly grimaced. "You two would get along well," was all he said, the frown still hanging on his lips.

I just laughed. It was cut short, however, as he suddenly stopped. My giggles immediately ceased as I gazed up into the abruptly solemn face of Toushirou, who had a glare fixed straight ahead. "Can you stand?" he asked, slowly letting my feet touch the ground.

"I got this tree," I mumbled, wobbling over to a thick trunk. Whatever made him stop like that, I guess it wasn't good. I watched him as he cautiously stepped forward. "What's wrong?"

Toushirou hushed me with a finger and held his other hand out in front of him. My brow arched as his palm made contact with something I couldn't see. "It's a barrier," he affirmed, knocking on the shield. There was a sort of static sound as his knuckles made contact. "It's the same one that was surrounding their headquarters," he continued.

That means one of the Bounto set up the barrier. "Are they in there?" I asked.

"It's possible," he responded quietly. "But so are Matsumoto and the others."

"Really? Then how did they get past the barrier?"

"They had Hinamori, but I doubt she was able to open it by herself… not without exhaustion afterwards," he seemed to be talking to himself more than he was to me. He cupped his chin, deep in thought. "My guess is that the barrier wasn't here when they entered."

My feeling was slowly coming back to my feet. "Why do you say that?"

"Because Kurosaki is in there as well. I don't believe he was able to take down a barrier this powerful in such a little time."

I blinked. That's right, we were right behind Ichigo when he left; so if he made it, then so should we. "Then… do you think that barrier is supposed to mean something?"

"Either they fell into a trap," he said, suddenly flash-stepping by my side, "… or we did."

"A trap?!" I repeated frantically.

"Don't leave my side, Nagasuki," he ordered calmly, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of his sword.

I numbly nodded. "What is it?"

"Bounto… or Hollows," he replied quietly. "There's a mist. Be careful."

I didn't even notice until I looked down. Sure enough, thin white smoke hovered along the ground, giving the surrounding area a ghostly façade. I had a feeling that whoever set this trap found out that he had caught something. I gazed around nervously, beginning to lose sight as the scenery was hidden behind the gradually thickening fog. I could barely see past a tree that was two feet away from me now. The mist had managed to gather around the area very quickly.

Subconsciously I inched towards Toushirou. "Maybe we should—whoa!"

I tripped over the roots of the tree, making a nice trip to the leaves and twigs below. But that wasn't what made me panic. "Toushirou? Toushirou, where did you go?" I leaped to my feet, suddenly alarmed. He was just beside me a second ago. He didn't flash-step away did he? No—he wouldn't just leave me here. "Toushirou? Toushirou!" I shouted, cupping my mouth for more volume. There was no response. "There's no way he just disappeared out of thin air," I told myself, blindly walking around. I couldn't even see where I was going now.

"Toushirou, where in the world are you?" I murmured, nibbling nervously on my lip. Was this a part of our captor's plan, too?

I heard leaves crunch. I spun around, a bright smile on my face. "Toushirou, there you are…!" My voice drifted as my expression gradually distorted. "… You're not Toushirou…"

There was a clicking noise in seeming response.

"Oh… my…" I stepped back slowly, my eyes wide and body shaking. There, in all its disgustingness, stood the nastiest spider I have ever seen in my life. All spiders were nasty in my opinion, but this was the mother of all nastiness. And it was _huge._ I'm not even kidding—this thing was _massive_. It was over half of my height just on its eight legs. Its body was charcoal black, standing completely still just ten feet away from me with its gold eyes glaring at me through its white mask. I didn't even notice it slinking up behind me.

In my fear, I somehow managed to squeak out, "Uh… nice arachnid…?"

If spiders could hiss, then this one did. I took its reared-back stance as a hint that it wasn't going to be nice.

"_AAAAHHHH!"_

I shrieked and followed my gut instinct to run. I knew better than to try and outrun a gargantuan spider, but I didn't enjoy the thought of being wrapped up in its web and experiencing it sucking out my blood. There was no way I'd just let it do that without me trying to somehow survive. I didn't know where I was running, but I didn't care—as long as it was away from _that_.

Toushirou was right—this was a trap. The Bounto were in charge of the animal Hollow. What did they want this time? Is this the appointed time Mimi was talking about, when Yasuo was going to make his move? If that was so, then where were Hikaru and they?

It was hard for me to think straight when something like a gigantic spider was hot on your tail. I was afraid to look back to see the futility of my effort, but to my (somewhat) relief, I didn't hear anything follow me. The relief was "somewhat" because I knew I wasn't that lucky. It was a miracle that I didn't indent any trees yet. So I glanced over my shoulder very briefly to see if anything was chasing me; but just as my chin touched my shoulder, my temporary relief vanished.

In an instant my body was flung back as I charged right into something, but to my confusion I wasn't flat on my rear. I opened my eyes and met face to face with the number one fear of my life. The pincers of the spider clicked together, anticipating its new lunch. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound was produced. I tried to move, but my body was frozen. I soon realized why.

I had run right into its web. The stupid spider outsmarted me.

"You… You work for the Bounto, don't you?" I murmured.

"_Humph. I don't see what use they have for weaklings such as yourself…" _It responded. It sounded like a middle-aged woman. "_Although, you _do_ have quite a tasty amount of reiatsu…_" It proceeded to nudge my shin with one of its legs. Naturally, I screamed.

That was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever felt in my life.

"So, what now? Y-You're going to eat me?" I was out of my mind. How I was able to even speak at such a time, I have no idea.

The spider seemed to plop onto the ground, sighing. "_Unfortunately not. We're waiting for them to come pick you up, and then I have a tasty meal that's calling my name._" It made a sort of slurping sound that almost made me gag. I didn't want to know what it would be feasting on tonight. And do Hollows even have names?

I scowled and tried ungluing myself from this gigantic web. It seemed to stretch out along the whole path, and each thread looked to be inches thick. "_Sorry hun, you're not going anywhere,_" the spider sighed, sounding bored. "_Just sit tight. It'll all be over soon…_"

And that was when I felt it.

In reaction I swung my head around, searching for whatever alarmed me. There was reiatsu that I was picking up; it didn't feel familiar though. Soon the Hollow noticed the intrusion as well and stood back up, its pinchers twitching anxiously. I was anxious too; was it a Bounto? Or was it a Shinigami?

There was a motion that I could hear. It reminded me of the time when Ichigo first arrived. It was swift, agile, and seemed to fly right above the ground. Someone was flash-stepping through the woods. My breathing sped up slowly and I kept my gaze locked behind me.

Seconds passed; then there was a slash, a wild cry, and dead silence. And it all happened in two seconds.

When I looked forward, my stomach twisted into a nauseating knot. The spider had been ruthlessly slaughtered. It was still in the position I last saw it in; it didn't even see the attacker coming. By the time I looked at it again, it had completely disintegrated. The movement sounded again and I saw the thick silk that I was stuck to being hacked at as if it was a knife cutting through butter. I fell on my hands and knees, watching the threads flutter to the ground beside me.

Feet materialized in front of me, and I shrieked in surprise, flying back onto my rear. Through the thick mist, I saw piercing golden eyes glare at me. A dark hand extended.

"It's unbelievable how long it took me to find you. I really need to get back into practice," scoffed a woman's voice. "C'mon, let's go."

I blinked numbly as her features became visible. Dark skin, purple hair, and bright orange eyes—the sight of her scared me at first, but she soon became quite beautiful when the shock faded. Was she a Shinigami? She wasn't wearing the uniform. "Who… who…?"

She seemed to laugh. It sounded like a cat's purr. "Shihouin Yoruichi. Hurry up, the Bounto are on their way. Metsuki wouldn't want you to get caught."

She pulled me to my feet and I found myself staring at her. I've never seen this woman, but she seemed very… familiar for some reason. "You know Metsuki?"

In one deft movement I found myself thrown over her shoulder. "I'll explain on the way."

And we disappeared in the same fashion she came.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Love So Sweet" by Arashi_

* * *

**A/N:** Oh my goodness. You guys are too much. -hyperventilates like Megumi- I so didn't expect 65 reviews. And you know what? We've passed 900 reviews for the entire story in just 27 chapters! You guys are totally amazing. Furareta wouldn't have gone this far without you. It's hard for me to believe that we're just a little below 1000 reviews, which is 1000 more reviews than I thought this story would ever get. And I say "we" because in , we're a team. That's right, me as an author and you as readers/reviewers make up this team and this story. Without you guys, this story would've been lost long ago.

Yes, I know that was a little corny. But I mean it, guys—thank you! Now let's reach 1000 and beyond! One thousand reviews has always been my dream number of reviews, you know. :3

And it's not just the reviews I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for my many readers and those who take the time to PM me about Furareta. It really makes me feel like Stephenie Meyer, knowing that some of my readers actually discuss this story away from the computer. And having you refer your friends to this story and saying how much you love it… It makes me feel so… wow. Amazing. It almost makes me want to actually become a real author.

THANK YOU GUYS!

I don't think this chapter was as exciting as the last, but the story must move on! What happened to Toushirou, and how and why did he disappear like he did? Luckily Yoruichi managed to find Megumi in time, but what role does she play in our adventure? What's going to happen next? Will she finally be reunited with Metsuki? Stay tuned and review to find out!

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

**ih o w a l o n, Skylite, DarkShadowMuffin, erina destiny, LifesA(censored)ToMe, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, moogle in paradaisu, Akiko Rivers, Leila, NeferNeferi, aoitsuki77, FrostedLilly10, CoteCooties, TheKingJingles, nymphadora1196, Mei Fire, xxSHiNJiRU, tphoneyy, rosesRred16, JC-WV, Kaji Mori, viettvnt, Talye Kendrin, Kusharu, Sakiru Yume, Hidden Complexity, joster13, fanny-kun, invisible-gurl, xxlemon, iiTs a Fantasy, haipa-chan, kai G. Takuya, Kyra-chan, Morbid Mello, Jenny Blankenship, WeHoldTheseTruths, ai-bleach, ChibiChibiLove, Kaiyt, haku fan1, aminea88, RyuseiStreamGirl, Seven Black Roses, HOTsu and yumiGAYA, snowcakes, Feather's Shadow, UchihaFanGirl, Hiei's-Dark-Little-Phoenix, Itami-chan, InnerSakura14, MangoMandarin10, nonday, InWonderlandx, NiinaKyo, animeXloversX317, xxlemon (again xD), Kyra-chan (again xD), Neko-chan, demogirl193, Miss Writer, Tateno Atsukino, ****RandomAznNoobieNeenjazoncrack, Kukino3, and Rose! THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**THAT IS A LOT OF BOLD!**

Really guys, thank you. So. Much.

Although, I'm sorry to say that I won't be beta-reading. D: With college coming up and everything, I'll be having less time on the computer. So I'm sorry. I'll give advice (you can send me a message if you want!), but I won't be able to beta-read. Sorry!

-- bayo-bayo,  
signing out!


	29. Hidden Motive

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Once again, so sorry for the wait! I can't believe how horrible blocks are.

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE 61 REVIEWS! You guys are totally AMAZING. Enjoy this chapter!

Oh yes.

**IMPORTANT QUESTION AFTER THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T W E N T Y – N I N E :**  
_"Hidden Motive"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "We Can Make It" by Arashi_

* * *

"Oh, by the way, thanks for saving me a while back. I owe you one," Yoruichi shouted against the wind.

Her words startled me, and I struggled to think as I tried to keep my mind from spinning. It was hard to keep my face from bashing against her spine. This position wasn't at all comfortable; her sharp shoulder was repeatedly being shoved into my gut and cutting off my oxygen flow, and the velocity we were traveling at wasn't helping at all. "What do you mean—ah!" In half a second I was flopped over. Apparently she noticed the restraint in my voice and flipped me back over, deciding to hook her arms under my knees and shoulders. I took the relief to circulate my air again. This is a much more comfortable position. "What do you mean?" I repeated.

My joints locked under the gaze of her piercing eyes. They were nothing like Toushirou's, but the stare froze me just like his did. She was an unusual sight, just like Toushirou was; dark skin, purple hair, and almost-cat like eyes. However strange she may appear though, she was very beautiful, in my opinion. Am I weird for thinking that abnormal-looking people are gorgeous? "Oh, that's right—you wouldn't have recognized me," Yoruichi replied casually, smirking. But then her gaze fell back on me, catching me staring at her. She lifted a dark brow. "… Or _do_ you?"

I blushed and looked away. "Um… maybe. I mean, I know I'd recognize you if I saw you before. The thing is, I _haven't_ seen you before, but for some reason you do seem kind of familiar…"

She only laughed, casting me a sly grin. "Maybe I can jog your memory then."

I glanced up at her. "How?"

"After you saved me, I came back with some help for you. What I saw was quite interesting," Yoruichi started, seeming to enjoy herself. "Seems like you were getting cozy with one of the captains of the Shinigami squads."

I stared at her blankly, even after the image of me leaning against Toushirou that one stormy night came to mind. My forehead crinkled thoughtfully. "But… 'after I saved you'? I don't remember…" I drifted, my eyes falling. I didn't remember saving anyone, especially this woman here. The only other thing I saved was… "That cat." I blinked once as my eyelids slowly lifted. I looked up into the grinning face of Yoruichi. "No way. That cat was you?"

"The one and only," she responded proudly.

"I… That's impossible!" I exclaimed.

"You can't honestly say that after everything you've experienced," Yoruichi huffed. Eh—she was right. "Hmm. But I certainly wasn't expecting the calm and cool Hitsugaya Toushirou to fall for a human…" She threw a suggestive glance at me, causing a flood of scarlet to color my face.

"N-N-No! He doesn't! Honestly!" I panicked.

"You know that's against the Shinigami Rule Book, right? That a Shinigami isn't supposed to fall for a human?"

Yeah, she had to remind me. "I know that," I said quietly.

"Yamamoto is really strict about that rule," she continued, deftly flashing from tree branch to tree branch. I was swinging back and forth against her; it was almost kind of fun. "Even if it's only the human admiring the Shinigami, he'll take defensive measures. I wouldn't be surprised if he brainwashes you."

I scowled. "… Why are you telling me this?" I asked with a small pout. As if it was worse enough not being able to be with Toushirou—now I couldn't even tell him how I felt about him? It was a good idea Ichigo intervened when he did.

"Just a warning," she replied quietly. "You do adore him, right?"

Hmm, adore. No one's ever used that word before. "Very much so," I said just as quietly. If I _had_ forgotten everything about Toushirou—and I mean just him, because I couldn't care less if I didn't know about Shinigami or Bounto—then I would have continued to lead such an empty, boring life.

I rocked a little as she laughed. "Ah, young love… I remember those days," she said endearingly, as if it were fifty years ago.

"Those days?" I repeated, lifting a brow. "You don't look any older than twenty-five."

"Why thank you," Yoruichi proudly sniffed, flashing me a feline grin. There was a moment of silence before she glanced at me again. "You know, if I was still a Shinigami, I'd have to report you to Yamamoto. But, seeing as I'm not, I won't say a word about you and your little admiration."

I cocked a brow. "Was?"

"Was," she confirmed. "Just like Kisuke."

I started. That was a name I didn't expect to hear. "Kisuke? Really?"

She laughed at my surprise. "Yeah. We go back a long ways."

So this lady _was _a Shinigami. That was more believable than she being a cat. She was a little feline-like though, with the way she looked and sounded just like a cat's face and purr. "Thanks," I said. If what she said was true, then I couldn't tell Toushirou anything about my feelings… and I'd have to lie to him. The thought 

bummed me, because that was nearly impossible. Toushirou didn't look like he knew anything about love any more than I knew geometry, but he wasn't an imbecile; and he himself said I absolutely sucked at lying. So I guess I just had to pray that he wouldn't bring that question up again. "Hey, um, Shihouin-san—"

"Just call me Yoruichi."

"Yoruichi," I corrected. "How do you know Metsuki?"

"I was going to begin explaining, but it looks like you can ask her yourself," Yoruichi said, taking one final leap off a tree branch before landing smoothly on the leaves. She even landed like a cat: silent and graceful. Unlike her though, I almost toppled over after she immediately dropped me onto my feet. "Sure saves me some breath," she added absent-mindedly, cracking her neck. I felt pressure in my pocket. "I got your phone, too. Here you go."

When my world stopped spinning, I gazed around to gain bearing of my surroundings. We were in a clearing, I could tell; but it was still very misty. Where did all of it come from, anyway? Did it leak from inside the barrier, or was it from a completely different source? I'd never seen it come so thick, especially in Karakura. I had to bite my lip to keep from yelping as Yoruichi's voice shouted over my head, startling me. "Oi, Metsuki! Where are you, kid?" she yelled in a bored fashion, crossing her arms and tapping her fingers against her elbow.

I kept my eyes peeled. Was Metsuki really here? It hasn't even been a full day that she's been gone, yet it felt like ages since I've seen her. "Metsuki!" I shouted, cupping my mouth. "Are you here? Come out right now!" For some reason I didn't feel like a big sister to her anymore, so it felt weird trying to be authoritative.

"It's not very polite to make people wait on you," Yoruichi mused with half-lidded eyes.

Suddenly there was a rustle and a giggle that I could recognize anywhere. A bright grin spread across my face and I spun towards the noise just in time for a smaller body to latch itself around my neck. I stumbled back laughing. "Metsuki! I was so worried!" I exclaimed, swinging the girl around excitedly. Yoruichi watched on with an amused smirk and settled comfortably into the grass.

I didn't even have to see her face to know it was her. "Nee-chan! I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered softly in my ear before pushing back. Her empty lavender eyes glanced in the direction of my face. "You weren't kidding when you said you'd follow me, huh?"

"Nope," I grinned, placing her on the ground. Out of habit and duty I looked her over for any injuries. The smile on my face wavered slightly. She was dressed in a black kimono—the Shinigami uniform. "Mimi was right, wasn't she?" I asked softly, absent-mindedly running my fingers along her sandy hair. "You _are_ a Shinigami."

The girl slowly nodded. "You met Mimi already. I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away," she said, giving me a sad grin. "I didn't want to worry you."

I laughed and held my forehead in my palm. "You knew all along about me being involved with Toushirou and Rangiku."

"Yes. Toushirou-kun is… _was_ my captain," she corrected herself with an awry smile. "He, Kisuke, and Yoruichi, of course, are the only ones who know about me, I think. Yamamoto might have caught wind as well…"

I stared long and hard at her while she continued to give me a very, very amused expression. "Your… captain?" I repeated with a few confused blinks. I glanced at Yoruichi, who just shrugged. "Seriously?"

Metsuki nodded. "Yeah. He was my captain for a little while until I decided to leave Gotei 13 and live down here like Kisuke and Yoruichi did."

I was dumbstruck to the extreme, still glued to the fact that Toushirou was Metsuki's captain. They must've known each other for decades—centuries! So he knew all along that she was a Shinigami, yet didn't tell me anything. I had planned to ask him about it earlier, but I didn't really expect him to know anything. Boy was I wrong.

Metsuki seemed to notice the angry aura around me and waved her hands frantically. "Oh no, don't blame him, nee-chan! I was the one who made Toushirou-kun promise he wouldn't tell you."

I pouted and crossed my arms. "But still… hiding something that important from me… and he was even able to keep a straight face all the times he's been with me!" Metsuki giggled and I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. Running away from gargantuan spiders and then having all this news shoved onto me was really tiring me out. "You had me fooled ever since you were adopted… oi, Mimi was right about me being a crappy sister." I grinned apologetically; she shook her head dismissively.

"You're saying that you would've been a better sister if you accused me of being dead earlier on?" she asked with a smirk.

I shrugged. "Who knows? I guess all that matters is that everything's revealed now, right? So what now?"

The girl bobbed her head. "Mimi should've told you, right? I'm trying to protect you from Yasuo," Metsuki reminded me. Her eyes lowered to the ground.

"She doesn't like me," I pointed out with a pout. "She doesn't seem to be too fond of you, either."

She forced a small laugh. "When I didn't stop loving Hakuto even after his death, she began to think of me that way. I don't think she likes you because she thinks I replaced her with you." Metsuki looked back up towards me with a sheepish grin. "I suppose I need to make amends with her after all these years…"

"Hakuto," I repeated, unfamiliar with the name. "Was that the Shinigami…?"

She nodded with a small, precious smile. "Hateshinai Hakuto—he was my savior and lover."

We exchanged glances. I now understood why she was so dead-set on me not giving up on Toushirou, and also the sad smile she showed me twice yesterday. She and Hakuto were able to maintain a relationship, and although the outcome wasn't favorable at all, she never regretted being with him. Metsuki believed that something like love could withstand the impossible, which included some rules. That motivated me to stay with Toushirou all the more. "I'm sure he's watching over you," I said with a smile. Metsuki nodded.

"Well then, now that you've had your little reunion party, we should finish the plan." Yoruichi brushed grass and leaves off her pants as she stood, glancing at both Metsuki and me.

"Right," I said, looking around. "Is Kisuke here?"

"He said he had some business to take care of," Yoruichi replied, rolling one of her shoulders. "Something about Romeo…?"

Immediately a grin broke out on my face. "Ah, Romeo," I repeated with a laugh. He must have gone to finish his fight with him. "Ichigo and his friends are here too, and Toushirou…" I paused. "Toushirou… he just disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Metsuki repeated, surprised.

"He was right next to me a second ago," I said, motioning to the empty space beside me as an illustration. "He told me not to leave his side, and a second later, he was gone and I was running for my life!"

Metsuki considered my horrible explanation for a few seconds. "… The Bounto wanted to get you alone," she concluded. "They were going to keep you in one place so they could capture you, but they had to get rid of Toushirou first. They must have done something."

That was certainly something to meditate on. Was it a Bounto power that I was unaware of? Surely it wasn't the resistance Bounto, so it had to be the other three. Yasuo had power over fire and Romeo should be occupied by Kisuke. That left Damien, the Bounto Hikaru mentioned. What power could he have? "I hope he's safe," I said, concerned.

Metsuki laughed. "You don't need to worry about Toushirou-kun, nee-chan," she said with a wave of her hand. "He'll make sure you're safe before he lets something kill him. He's stubborn like that." I glanced at her again, contemplating. She seemed to feel my gaze. "What?"

I huffed and turned away. "It's not fair."

"Huh?"

Pink slowly colored my cheeks. "Compared to how long _you've_ been around him, _I've_ only known him for like a second."

Metsuki and Yoruichi exchanged glances before bursting out into harsh laughter. "Of all the things to complain about, nee-chan," the girl giggled.

"This kid is _hilarious_," Yoruichi added.

I frowned and stomped forward, my arms firmly crossed over my chest. "Okay, okay, so what's the plan?" I dismissed the topic.

"Well, first it was to secure you," Metsuki replied. "You're safe as long as you're with us. If Yasuo is as obsessed over you as he was over Akina, then he'll drop by anytime now."

The blood drained from my face. That pyromaniac was coming here? He could burn the whole forest down! "What then?"

Metsuki smiled and patted the short sword at her side—a zanpakutou. "That's when we strike."

"What? _You're_ going to fight him?" I asked, panic stretching across my features. I grabbed her shoulders. "Metsuki, that man is crazy!"

"I know," she replied. "I've been around him long enough to know how he fights. I can handle him." Before I could protest stronger she turned to Yoruichi. "I'll take care of Yasuo. Kisuke's already got Romeo, and all that's left is the other Bounto—Damien. She just _might_ be with Toushirou. Mimi, Hikaru, and Riana aren't here."

I blinked. Did she know about the resistance? "How do you know?"

She shrugged modestly. "I didn't see their reiatsu on the way here."

"'See'?" I repeated.

"I may be blind, but I have spiritual sight," Metsuki grinned proudly. "Though the world through my eyes is black, I can 'see' bundles of reiatsu. They're like flames in the night; they're really easy to pick out and recognize, even when they're dormant in bodies. That's how I can tell who I'm talking to or who walks up. I guess it was a positive side-effect from that Hollow's poison."

I whistled low. "Wow."

Yoruichi ruffled her hair. "She's pretty useful."

"One more thing," I said, holding up one finger. "Did you call Damien a _she_?"

Metsuki stared at me and slowly nodded. "Yeah…?"

"Damien's a girl?!"

"She's a feisty one, that Damien," Metsuki mused while I concentrated hard on the shocking fact. "She's spoiled rotten and always has to have her way. Drop dead gorgeous, too—the guys love her."

A vein popped. "And she might be with… _Toushirou_?" I could feel my own blood start to boil.

"Hah! As if Toushirou-kun would notice physical beauty even if it slaps him right in the face," Metsuki laughed. "If I remember correctly, she's a master of illusions and shape-shifting; _and_ she has an odd fetish for unusual-looking, but handsome men."

My fists clenched. Metsuki was enjoying this.

"Oh, and if she likes the guy enough, she'll do anything to win him over."

I reacted quite calmly. "Okay. Give me something sharp and deadly and I'll start searching for him."

"That's not a good idea," Yoruichi said. At first I thought she was mocking me, but she actually looked seriously thoughtful. "If she'll do _anything_… then someone better stay with Megumi."

I stumbled. "Why?"

"Good point," Metsuki replied, ignoring me. "She hates competition. If Damien realizes that Toushirou-kun is protecting _her_…"

Yoruichi nodded. "Then she'll come looking for Megumi."

I glanced at both of them separately and I felt a wicked grin slip onto my face. "Bring it on." I can take on any girl trying to snatch Toushirou, super-powered Bounto or not.

Metsuki shook her head. "Wait, wait, wait. We don't even know if Toushirou-kun has even met her."

On abrupt remembrance I whipped out my cell phone and starting dialing. I held it to my ear and waited patiently. Metsuki and Yoruichi made faces at me, probably wondering why in the world I didn't do this immediately. I was beginning to wonder why too. When I heard the line pick up on the other side, I held the phone an arm's length from my ear.

The beautiful voice wasn't happy. "_Nagasuki, I _swear_ I'm going to _murder_ you!"_

I cringed. Yup, that was Toushirou all right.

"I'm glad you're safe too," I replied with a roll of my eyes. "I'm not the one who left though! You told me to stay right next to you, and I did. _You_ had to go and disappear!"

"_Disappear?! Are you blind? You ran off and sent me on a wild goose chase!" _he shouted angrily. So that's how it was—it probably was Damien who led him off. Imagining the stranger toying with him infuriated me.

I rubbed my ear. "Stop yelling, all right?! I'm fine now. I'm with Yoruichi and Metsuki in a clearing. Where are you?"

At the mention of my company, he seemed to relax a little. He calmed down after taking a few deep gulps. "_No where I recognize. The fog is clouding my senses; I can't sense your energy, so I suppose I'm pretty far from where you are."_

I closed my eyes with a sigh. "Um. Okay, listen: Metsuki says there's a Bounto who might be responsible for the fog _and_ the Megumi you saw running off on you. Her name's Damien—weird name for a girl, I know—and she controls illusions and can shape-shift. So if you think you see me, it might actually be her." I looked at Metsuki to make sure my theory was possible. She nodded once.

"_Wonderful._" There was an aggravated sigh.

"Exactly," I said with the same resentment. After a small thought, I added, "She'll come after you, obviously."

"_Me? She should be going after you."_

"Silly," I laughed lightly. "She's into… weird-looking men, so she'll be on your tail in a heartbeat."

There was a brief moment of confused silence. "_What?_"

I blushed, wondering whether I should call him good-looking to his face or not. I hesitated. "… She finds grumpy little midgets like you more attractive than cute little girls like me, all right?! So keep your eyes peeled!"

"Good thing he's dense," Yoruichi smirked to Metsuki behind me.

Metsuki just slapped her forehead. "She just hit the detonator."

"_I WOULD'NT BE PATRONIZING SOMEONE WHO CONSTANTLY HAS TO SAVE YOUR—"_

"Hideous," I interrupted him calmly.

"_What are you—?!"_

"Our password. If someone who looks like me walks up to you, look me in the face and say 'hideous' really nastily. If she attacks you, well, you'll know it's Damien. I don't know her, but even if you meant it to _my_ face, she'd get offended."

He huffed. _"That won't be hard to say._"

I grimaced, holding back an insult. "Okay, so we've got that settled. Remember, you'll know who it is by the password, okay?"

"_You do realize I can distinguish reiatsu levels, correct?"_

"Maybe she can imitate even that too! So we have to be careful."

"_Fine. You stay where you are. I'll find you eventually._"

"Don't worry your white little head over me," I replied with a grin. "Just make sure you come back alive, eh?"

"_It's irritating how much you underestimate me…_"

"There's a difference between underestimating you and simply worrying about you. We _are _friends, you know. _So_ sorry to offend, Hitsugaya-sama," I rolled my eyes. "But really, be careful."

"_You do the same. Don't do anything stupid. I know your tendencies…_"

"And you criticize _me_ about patronizing…"

He grew quiet for a few seconds, and I suspected he hung up. I was about to flip the top close before his voice cut through again. "_Nagasuki."_

"Hmm?"

"_You…_" he paused again for a while and sighed. "_You are an idiot._"

Click.

I stared at the phone for a few seconds before snapping it shut and shoving it in my pocket with a scowl. "What the heck, Toushirou?!" I growled.

"Geez, I was about to fall asleep," Yoruichi mock yawned, stretching lazily on the ground. "You two sure can run your mouths."

Metsuki giggled and I rolled my eyes. "Toushirou should be fine for now…" I drifted, turning back to the patient pair behind me. "We can bet on Damien going after him, and if Kisuke has Romeo occupied, then Yasuo should be…"

"Already here," Metsuki responded, a quiet edge in her voice. Yoruichi scowled and was by my side in half a second.

There was a deep chuckle that leaked from the edge of the clearing, just into the trees. "So we finally meet again, Megumi-chan." That voice never failed to send shivers down my spine. The tall, broad man swept into the scene like a breeze, as if on cue. The leaves didn't even crunch under his light steps. "I've missed you."

Metsuki stepped forward so that she and Yoruichi were in front of me. "Yasuo," she bitterly greeted him. "It's been a while."

"Ah, Metsuki. I suppose I knew better than believing you were dead," the man grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "What are you doing here? Protecting Akina?"

"She's not Akina."

"She looks exactly like her," he continued, eyes grazing over me. I just seemed to freeze under his gaze and my breath reflexively held in my throat. "The hair, the eyes, the voice, the tendencies… Akina always did attract trouble. It's only right that her reincarnation do the same." The corner of his lips twitched into a lop-sided smirk. "Is your little ice prince absent today? I thought he was a bodyguard of sorts for you. It's a shame I couldn't leave deeper burns in that icy skin of his…"

"What do you want, Yasuo?" Metsuki asked, taking another step forward. "There must be more you want from her than her resemblance to Akina."

"Owning the ultimate keepsake from the woman I love isn't enough?" My breath was labored and I tried hard to regulate it. The way he said "own" sent goose bumps down my neck. "I suppose you're right," he shrugged. "But it's none of the Shinigami's concerns." His eyes narrowed and he spat, "Show yourself, Ademaro."

And then he erupted.

Yasuo controlled the element of fire, and he was overflowing with it. I could feel his dark reiatsu building slowly until it was nearly visible. The bronze armguard that I noticed he wore the last time I saw him glowed, flames leaking from the rubies and red jewels lining the ornament. It twisted around him like a ribbon, flexible and beautiful, until it materialized into a form that I found familiar. A dragon. His doll was a dragon constructed of fire. I could feel the heat brushing against my face. Apparently he was itching for a quick fight.

"I wonder, Metsuki," Yasuo mused with burning eyes. "If I had turned you into a Bounto, would you have been stronger than you are as a Shinigami?"

Metsuki reached for her sword. "Would you like to find out?"

I gasped. The last thing I wanted to do was seeing Metsuki fight. She was tender, so fragile—and even though I had no doubt that she was capable as a Shinigami, I just couldn't bear to see her in a bout with that man. "Metsuki, don't—"

"Don't worry, nee-chan."

And she disappeared.

I yelped as an explosion sounded just yards away from me, shaking the ground and knocking me off balance. Yoruichi steadied me, although her eyes were focused on the battle that had just been initiated. My fingers dug into my hair as I watched, horror-struck, as my sister flew into battle. "Yoruichi," I murmured, feeling her hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry about her," she said. Suddenly her grip tensed and she turned to the side.

I had been too focused watching Metsuki to notice her movement. She was so graceful and precise; she fought like she didn't have any handicaps at all. Her zanpakutou hadn't been released yet, but she was holding her own against Yasuo for now. He was enjoying the little warm-up, I saw; they were talking while they exchanged blows, but they were too far away to hear.

"What are you supposed to be? A doll?"

Yoruichi's voice brought me back and I blinked, glancing to my side. What I saw made me stumble back with a muffled shriek. "What the heck?!"

It was a giant… rabbit. But it wasn't a real animal—no, this was a stuffed animal, with stitches and buttons and everything. A stuffed animal that was nearly ten times my size. It looked vaguely familiar… "You're… you're Mimi's doll," I murmured, recognizing the miniature form of the thing sitting in Mimi's lap. What was it doing here?

The rabbit stared at me with empty button eyes.

"Meh. Go ahead, take her," Yoruichi waved at it, as if she understood it. "Metsuki will need my help eventually anyway."

I spun to face Yoruichi, my mouth hanging open. "What?!"

"This one's not going to hurt you," she calmly replied, winking at me. "Trust me. I just know."

I made a face at her. Did she know that Mimi was a part of a resistance? How did she know I wouldn't be in danger? "But I… I can't just leave Metsuki—"

The rabbit threw its too-long arm around me, crushing me into its squishy side. "Wait!" I shouted, muffled by the cotton. "Yoruichi!"

The cat woman smiled and patted my head. "You honestly want to be near this madman? Metsuki would like it better if you were farther away. I'm going to stay and help her out. Yasuo _is_ the lead Bounto, after all." She stepped back and nodded. "It's easy for her to get lost, so be careful."

"Wait!"

Before the rabbit sprung away, I cast a glance towards the two fighting. My eyes locked with Metsuki for a brief second—a second long enough for her to smile at me—before dodging an explosion. Yasuo glared at me with wide, wild eyes—or, rather, was glaring at the familiar doll flitting away with me.

I grabbed a fistful of plush and murmured, "Be careful…"

And I was carried away into the trees.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Love So Sweet" by Arashi_

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**A/N:** We don't see Toushirou, but he was there! What will happen next? Why has Mimi's humongous bunny appeared onto the scene, and how is Toushirou and Kisuke holding up? What are Ichigo and the others doing in the meantime? What are Yasuo's true motives? STAY TUNED!

Okay, so like I said, I have a very important question. In my profile there is a poll, and that poll will quite literally affect how Furareta will end. Since my whole question wouldn't fit, I will voice it here. **Read the paragraph below BEFORE you vote, please.**

I said before that I was going to try to get Furareta finished before the school year started. The reason for that is because if I don't, then this story must go on hiatus for three months… until December. Yes, I am totally serious. The explanation is complicated, but if that happens, DON'T think that I've abandoned the story. It's simply a side-effect of the college situation I'll be in. I have about a month to wrap everything up, but with the pace I'm going at, it doesn't look good. So my question is this: **Do you want a sequel for Furareta?** The answers 'yes' and 'no' make all the difference for how this story will end. It's that serious folks! If you say yes, then you must be very, VERY patient with my updates because I'll only be able to update during school breaks and, of course, summer. Answer no, and you won't have to wait too long for another story because Furareta will end. THINK BEFORE YOU ANSWER. Thank you.

This has been an extremely long and dull day, so I'm gonna end it here. Thank you all so much for the reviews! Sorry I can't answer questions--feel free to message me! :)

- - bayo-bayo,  
signing out!


	30. Questionable Truth

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hello everyone, again! So sorry for the late update… I know you were waiting! This is a Toushirou chapter, so I hope you like it. :D A big, important note that you don't want to miss will be at the end of the chapter. Happy reading!

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**. F U R A R E T A .  
**_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y :**  
_"Questionable Truth"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

I had never felt so irritatingly helpless in all of my life… and afterlife.

If being separated from the subject of my protection wasn't bad enough, my senses were clouded and my eyesight wasn't doing me an ounce of favor as I wandered deliberately through these accursed woods. The mist that these Bounto had no doubt created seemed to purposely gather in every direction I looked. It felt like I was trapped in a white box, doomed to wander endlessly in ivory scenery. No matter what I did, I just couldn't grasp my bearings. Fortunately nothing has dared to ambush me yet, but the vulnerability I had been locked in was making me very uncomfortable. I had always been used to knowing exactly where everything was, where no surprise attacks could reach me. How did Metsuki handle it?

(_Master, there is a tree there._)

The warning came half a second too late as my shoulder smacked into the thick, sturdy trunk of one of the largest oaks I have ever seen. I didn't even know foliage this rich existed in Karakura. I wonder if it was a hallucination. If it was, I probably wouldn't have walked into it. "Could've been a bit faster, Hyourinmaru," I grimaced, lightly rubbing the scratched area. I hated being unable to see. I hated it. If I were born blind, I probably would've killed myself before my blindness could.

(_My apologies. As it is for you, it is hard for me to see…_)

"I'm starting to believe that the source of this fog is close by," I murmured absent-mindedly. It was silent here—too silent—and I had to speak out loud to make sure I hadn't fallen into a trance or something. Despite 

all the times I wished Hyourinmaru didn't exist in my head, I was now thankful for the company. I didn't think I was capable of feeling lonely.

(_I am glad to be of service to you._) Hyourinmaru spoke it with a roll of his eyes. (_So the only time I can be useful is when you are stranded alone in a forest or if you are fighting?_)

I smirked. "Basically."

(_You are a cruel, cruel master._)

I could hear the sarcasm behind the dragon's tone. Out of habit I glanced at the one other thing equipped on me besides the sword on my back. In my palm, the square screen on my phone was dim. With a sigh I pocketed it again.

(_Master, Nagasuki is fine._) Naturally, he hit my concerns right on the nail.

"That idiot is _my_ responsibility," I sighed, shaking my head at my dumb luck. I didn't try denying it anymore. "It was an order straight from Yamamoto. Of course I don't feel comfortable when I can't even feel her reiatsu, much less have her in eyesight…"

(_You are not just cranky because she is merely separated from you?_) he asked. The question was soft.

Hadn't I already made that clear? "I just told you I didn't feel comfortable because she wasn't here. What are you talking about?" I felt like a blind man; I had to wave my arms and walk too slowly for my liking to make sure I didn't mutilate myself by running into trees. It might've been me, but the fog just seemed to get thicker.

(_Master… I worry for you._)

I already knew that. "Stop that, Hyourinmaru. There's nothing to worry about." Sure I was as blind as a bat and my senses were backfiring on me, but we would get out of here eventually. Why was the stupid dragon such a worrywart today? Usually he was much more confident.

The response came after a few moments of silence. (_If that old man discovers your feelings for Nagasuki… you know what he will do._)

This was still a sensitive subject. My eyes narrowed—so this was what he was worrying about. "You speak as if I do have feelings for her," I mumbled.

(_Do you not?_)

"Hyourinmaru, don't make me think anymore than I have to," I sighed again.

(_Do not lie to me, master. I live inside you. I know your thoughts. You think about her more than anything else combined. You do not need me to bring up the subject to remind you of her. I have nothing against Nagasuki, but you are more important to me. You know the consequences of what would happen if—_)

"Hyourinmaru, stop. Please."

(_Master… you cannot avoid this topic forever. You must come to a decision soon, before it is too late._) And with that single warning, he drifted back into my subconscious, leaving me to my own thoughts.

I found a tree—which wasn't hard—and leaned tiredly against it. I couldn't begin to count the times that this discussion had come between Hyourinmaru and me. I knew he was just concerned; and it was definitely a topic to be concerned about. Any sort of relationship that surpassed acquaintanceship between a human and Shinigami was already too close to the borderline. Becoming friends with Nagasuki was pushing it—and what had become of us now? Are we really just friends still, after all that's… happened between us?

The thunderstorm: she leaned on me because she was cold.

The kiss: she kissed me because I wouldn't believe her.

… Right?

When she asked to lean on me, I felt warm because of the blanket and body heat—not because it felt pleasant having her so close to me.

When I saw her kissing that Bounto, I was angry because I thought she was a traitor—not because I was jealous.

But why did that seem so… wrong?

Why did the mere thought of her make me unable to think of nothing else? Why was her safety and general well-being so much higher than necessary on my priorities list? Why did I feel like she was m_y_ responsibility? Why did I feel so relaxed, so calm around her? Why did that idiotic, childish smile of hers make it impossible for me to look away? Why was the kiss we shared—as out of context as it might be—just a little more pleasurable than it should have been?

I should have fought back. I should have drawn the boundary, bold and clear, right there. I should have avoided all contact with her afterwards. I should have neglected the offer of being her friend when I had the chance.

But now I had no choice, and no more chances. We became friends, and although she might not realize it, that will cause damage in the end. Yamamoto would never let a relationship get out of hand, not when he had the power against it. If he ever caught wind of these feelings, though bewildered and uncertain as it was, he wouldn't hesitate to end it.

I had to keep reminding myself. I don't think about her that way—I _couldn't_ think about her that way. Yes, all this worrying and fretting is in vain if I only didn't feel about her in any other way than as a friend. That's all she wanted to be anyway—she didn't have any confessions, no expressed desire of wanting anything more. And neither did I. She didn't like me, and I didn't like her. It was as simple as that.

I didn't think that what I thought was the truth could be so… questionable.

Finally I just decided that I wouldn't think of it anymore and continue walking. Thinking about the migraine-inducing subject never had a real solution in the end other than believing that we carried no other feelings for each other. Hyourinmaru was right—I had to make a decision before something happened.

"Sorry, Hyourinmaru. I came up empty again," I murmured, feeling that tinge of loneliness again.

(_Either way, master, I am sure you will make the right one in the end._)

I sighed. "You give me too much credit. I feel I'm more confused than Yamada Hanatarou is daily."

(… _That is quite bad._)

"Tell me about it."

I had a feeling that if Nagasuki and Yamada ever met, they would get along just fine. They both had the ability to become airheads, anyway. Idiots attract. Maybe Yamada would even be able to take the danger-magnet of a girl out of my hands, although I doubt he'd have the qualities of being a reliable bodyguard… No. The mere thought of Nagasuki being out of my sight and in another's hand made me assume the worse.

Ugh. That triggered another wave of confusion.

(_Master._)

I sighed again. "What is it?" The tone in the dragon's voice was hesitant, contemplative.

(_If you had to choose between Hinamori and Nagasuki, who would you choose?_)

As if on cue, another tall oak stood directly in my way and I walked right into it. With an aggravated hiss I drew my zanpakutou and sliced it clean in half, grimacing as I watched the plant crash noisily to the ground. "What brought that question up?" I asked, rubbing my neck.

(_I realized that the thought pattern you have between Hinamori and Nagasuki are somewhat similar. They are both people worth protecting to you, and they are both important to you._)

I realized he was right after thinking about it for a while. But the thought never crossed my mind about choosing between them. Why would I have to? "Why are you asking this?"

(_I am trying to help you, master. You cannot deny that you have feelings for Hinamori._)

Ah, yes. I forgot to include Hinamori in the equation with Nagasuki and me. Hinamori is my best friend, and yes, I love her. I loved her even before she left home to become a Shinigami, and still loved her even when she became obsessed with Aizen. Next to my grandmother, she was the most important person to me. If I had to choose between anything and her, I didn't even have to think twice about my answer. No hesitation, no question—Hinamori was always my priority. And I knew Hinamori loved me too; my first kiss was in her ownership. No words were spoken, but we both knew. We loved each other. Whether in the brotherly sense or the other, I don't know. But our feelings toward each other were mutual. There should be no question about it.

Then why was I having so much trouble choosing?

Nagasuki and Hinamori—they were alike, but so different. Nagasuki was loud, annoying, and completely helpless. Hinamori was cheery and talked too much, but at least she could defend herself. I've only known Nagasuki for a couple of months, yet she's become so attached to me—even I could tell—and, eventually, I became attached to her. Hinamori and I have always shared a special bond, even over the past centuries. I haven't even known Nagasuki for a year—there was no way I would treasure her over Hinamori when so little time has passed. That was illogical and unfair. Sure, if I were given the choice of saying either I hated her or I loved her, I would love her. But this… this was too complicated. I couldn't understand my own heart.

(_I am sorry, master. I did not realize how difficult this is for you._) His tone was remorseful.

Well, it was too late to apologize now. "Don't worry about it, Hyourinmaru. I probably would've ended up thinking about it sooner or later…" Although I much preferred the latter, considering I wasn't in the best place to be thinking.

I'm a prodigy, but this is too much.

The simple answer to this would be to literally cut all ties with Nagasuki Megumi—forget about her and my confused emotions towards her. She couldn't get between Hinamori and me, not if I would let her.

But why couldn't I bring myself to do that to her—to me?

I growled and slumped against a tree a second time. '_This can't be happening_,' I almost pleaded with myself, clapping a palm over my forehead, which was damp with overexertion of thought. '_I c_an't_ like her. Not like that. I love Hinamori. _Please_ don't tell me that I'm falling for that stupid, clumsy, irresponsible—'_

"Hitsugaya-kun!"

Instantly I was jolted out of my thoughts, as if lightning struck me. It wasn't Hyourinmaru's voice. Naturally I would be relieved to hear someone else in this forsaken forest, but the moment I recognized the voice, my relief instantly began fueling the migraine I would be suffering from tonight.

Hinamori.

I didn't respond, hoping she would just flit away. Having her here would only make me think more, and I've already suffered enough for the next week or so. Unfortunately my silent prayers were rejected and I heard her light treads crunching on leaves, growing noisier as she neared me; and finally, I could spot her petite silhouette just beyond the fog. Her warm brown eyes greeted mine as they met and her frail shoulders lifted as she bent over, trying to regain her breath. Stupid girl, always overdoing things.

"Hitsugaya-kun," she panted, bringing her flushed face to look at mine again, "I finally found you!"

"How?" I asked, with genuine curiosity. If I heard that I was the only one whose senses were clogged up in this fog, I was going to kill something.

"Rangiku-san got your message," she started. After Nagasuki and I got separated, I called Matsumoto to alert her of the barrier. The stupid strawberry-blonde had her phone turned off. "We split up searching for you and the others. This fog really is something, huh?" She flashed me that bright grin of hers. "I heard a tree crash a few minutes ago, and I came to check it out. Luckily it happened to be near you."

Tree crash? Oh yeah, the tree I walked into after Hyourinmaru—ugh.

(_Forgive me._) I refrained from rolling my eyes.

"Have you found Megumi? I hope she's okay," she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"It's only a matter of time until she's not," I sighed, shrugging. "Let's get going then. Do you know where Matsumoto is?"

Hinamori nodded and half-turned, pointing into the fog. "Yeah, she said she'd be up… north…" I saw her wobble and stumble forward.

Instantly I grabbed her, and she twisted so that she could lean on me. "S-Sorry," she mumbled.

My eyes narrowed in worry and I lowered us to the ground. "What's wrong?" I asked, checking her for injuries. She _looked_ fine…

"Nothing, just a little tired," she shrugged. "I think this fog can sap reiatsu too…"

"Crap," I murmured. I looked around and spotted the tree I had been leaning on. I hooked my arms under her knees and shoulders and carried her to lean against the base of the trunk. When my hands found her wrists, she wouldn't release her hold around my neck. "Hinamori?" I queried, glancing at her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was rushed—is she running a fever?

"Will you stay with me?" she weakly asked. "I don't want you to leave after I just found you. I'll be fine if I rest for a few minutes…"

My palm flicked over her forehead. "You're sick, Hinamori," I said, giving her a disapproving look. "I'll go find Yamada. He's here, right?"

"Yes, but I'll be fine," she insisted, tugging as I tried to pull away. "Please stay?"

I stared at her for a few seconds, sighed, and slumped down next to her. It was so hard fighting against her when she was like this. She loosened her grip around my neck and clung to my arm, resting her head on my shoulder. This was unusual behavior for her—she really must be sick. I shifted slightly to make her more comfortable.

Suddenly she started giggling. It was a light, irresistible sound. "Remember the last time we were like this?" she asked, a smile lighting her face. "When I was sick and you came to visit me?"

My face warmed at the memory. Of course I remembered that night—that was the night when… "Yeah, I remember. A certain idiot wouldn't let me leave."

She laughed again; I smiled the tiniest of smiles. "That was the night you kissed me."

I didn't respond. Just my luck. Why did she have to bring this up _now_?

"Hitsugaya-kun…" she started again, softly this time. "You… know I love you, right?"

If this had been any other time, I would've been happy. If this had been a time when Nagasuki didn't exist, I would be ecstatic. But I didn't know what emotion to feel; happy? Relieved? Sad? Confused? I contemplated for a while before deciding not to answer. I knew she loved me… as a brother, I'm assuming.

"Do you love me, too?" she inquired quietly, absently playing with the fabric of my clothes with her fingers.

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to feel no hesitation, no question within myself about this answer; yet nothing solid came to mind. Images of Nagasuki popped into mind: her stupid grin, her airy laugh, the carefully 

pronounced and dear way she said my name—and I realized that I couldn't say yes. But I couldn't say no. I loved Hinamori, but no voice was within my reach to say so. I had no idea what that meant.

We sat in silence for a while, with me lost in thought and Hinamori waiting for the answer that would never come. I began to feel remorse. What should I tell her?

After what seemed like hours, I knew I had to say something. I wanted to say yes, but I couldn't give her an answer when I was so confused. "Hinamori—"

Then she did something completely unexpected.

Her small, trembling hands grabbed either side of my face and she brought my face down to hers, where her lips seized mine. It took me a few seconds to register her swift action before I grabbed her shoulders and easily forced her back. "What are you doing?!" I exclaimed, surprisingly out of breath. This very unlike Hinamori—she would never do something like this. What did this fog do to her?

"I love you, Hitsugaya-kun," she murmured again, making me flinch. "You love me too, don't you?"

She took advantage of my vulnerability and pushed my hands away, tackling me onto my back. Her mouth fell over mine again, passion and desire in the way her lips moved. It was hard for me to think. I knew this wasn't right—something was _wrong._ And suddenly it all began to piece together in my mind—the truth. With the sudden realization I found my arms and shoved her back, throwing her onto the ground. I stood to my feet and wiped the back of my palm across my mouth, disgusted.

"It's Megumi, isn't it?" Hinamori whimpered, not bothering to get up. "Ever since you started hanging around with her, you've been acting differently. You like her, don't you—"

"_Shut up,_" I hissed, brandishing Hyourinmaru. I pointed the tip at her, death in my eyes. "How _dare _you."

The fake shot me an innocent look. "What are you talking about, Hitsugaya-kun—"

I was fuming. "Don't keep trying to fool me, impostor. I'll _kill_ you for making such a hideous imitation of her!" Rage blinded me as I flew at her, Hyourinmaru reared back. Hinamori stared at me for a second before lithely hopping out of the way of my slash.

"Hmph," she grunted, crossing her arms. Disappointment crossed her face. "I thought I'd be able get a little more fun out of you… And here I believed I had you completely fooled. You _are_ pretty smart… just how I like them." Her eyes glanced over me once, her lips curved into a seductive smirk. I couldn't stand staring at Hinamori anymore.

"You're despicable," I seethed. "Change back, _now_."

I should have noticed from the moment she started replaying that night months ago. Hinamori wasn't like that—she wouldn't make strength out of her weakness when it came to things like this, and she definitely wouldn't use it against me. She'd never do that, and she'd never force anything, a kiss especially, on me. How did Damien even know about it? She probably had the power to look into the memories of people she impersonates. How could I be so blind as let myself be led so far?

Hinamori was half of the reason why. I had been so consumed in my thoughts that I couldn't see. I was a fool for believing her to be Hinamori for even a second.

"Are you sure you really want that?" the fake questioned, pirouetting. "Don't you like this?"

That was it.

I shot forward, hissing into shikai, and completely froze the area she had been standing in. She wasn't anywhere in sight. I spun around to find her lounging on a tree branch, watching me with amused eyes. She wasn't Hinamori anymore; she was now in her assumed 'true' form. I glanced at her for a second before turning completely. "I see why you shape-shift," I smirked. "You have got to be the most hideous creature I have ever seen."

Damien's blood red eyes widened, instantly infuriated. Nagasuki was right—that adjective did make her snap. "Shut up," she murmured in a deadly tone, leaping from the branch. "Shut _UP!_"

I waited for her to crash into my sword—but she actually went flying to the side, crashing into a tree. The trunk snapped, splinters sprinkling the ground, and the Bounto groaned in pain. I furrowed my brows, confused. What had just happened?

"You can't keep avoiding the truth, Damien," a smooth, masculine voice said. As I glanced to my other side, I saw a large, icicled wolf gracefully meander into the scene, with a familiar figure stalking beside it. Minamoto Hikaru had a casual smirk on his pale face as he walked closer. Damien hissed at him from where she was crouched, and I see what had thrown her away; a thick ice needle pierced into her side cleanly through. Blood leaked from the wound, although she made no move to remove the splinter. "You are pretty disgusting. At least choose something decent to be your casual form."

"Hikaru," she hissed. "What are you doing?!"

"Just getting back at you for all the times you've done that to me," Hikaru shrugged. The wolf beside him didn't even budge, but thousands of needles ejected from its body and hung in the air, pointing at a deadly angle towards the injured Bounto.

She didn't even look afraid. "Yasuo-sama will kill you."

He shrugged. "Let him try." And the needles flew. "Goodbye, Damien. It wasn't really a pleasure knowing you."

There was no struggle on either end. The needles piled onto Damien, striking her vital points until even an idiot could tell that she was dead. The fog that consumed the forest disappeared. That was quick. I watched the scene with more confusion than awe, and I turned to Hikaru as he stalked towards me.

"Why did you do that?" I asked harshly, disappointed. _I_ wanted to kill her.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I was getting back at her," Hikaru said, holding up his hands.

I ignored him and held my sword in his direction. "Don't come any closer."

The wolf beside him growled softly, but Hikaru put a hand on her head. "Easy, Yseult," he softly said. His bright eyes focused on me again. "Calm down, partner. I just want to talk."

For some reason this guy irritated me, and I really didn't know why. I figured I didn't have to have a reason—he was an enemy. "Don't refer to me as 'partner.' What do you want?"

"Has Megumi told you anything?" he asked suspiciously. "About what happened, I mean?"

My eyes narrowed. "No."

"That girl is wonderful with promises," he sighed in relief. "Don't worry, it's not a secret against you Shinigami's disadvantage. So believe her when she says she's with you."

"You're saying I should trust your words?"

"Hmm." He paused. "Good point." I don't know why I haven't attacked him yet. "Next time you see her… you can tell Megumi I've given the okay to spill. It doesn't really matter anymore."

"Pass the message on yourself." I refused to be a messenger boy between them.

"I have somewhere I needed to be, actually… but if it really bothers you, I'll pass it on a little later." He seemed to be trying to get on my good side. It wasn't working. "I really just wanted to tell you something."

"Get on with it."

Hikaru pouted. "Did Damien tick you off that much?"

"Yes."

"Not surprising. Well, I just wanted to say…" he trailed off, glancing at me again. "That I'm not giving Megumi up to you without a fight."

His words caught me off guard as soon as they sunk in. I lowered my sword. "What?"

"She may be head over heels for you now, but trust me, that could change," he stubbornly added. "From now on, we're rivals!"

Silence.

I stared at him blankly, and then to the wolf that I guessed was his doll. She glanced at me and made a movement that looked like she was shrugging. Was this guy really one of the higher-ranked Bounto's?

"So yeah, that's it. I'll see you later." Hikaru gave me a sarcastic salute and bounded off back into the woods with the wolf, as quietly as they came.

I watched him go silently, my mouth hanging slightly apart. There was no response, no fight—not even the urge to slash at him.

And finally I spoke. "Wait, I'm not—" The words came too late.

And suddenly the thought crossed me: could some of these Bounto be… _good_? I think Nagasuki brought up the topic before. Riana, I knew, had a kind heart in her… could this Hikaru, as irritating as he may be, be the same way?

The ringing in my pocket threw off my thoughts and I whipped my hand for the phone. "What is it?" I asked.

Matsumoto's frantic cry hissed through. "_Taichou, please come quickly!_"

The seriousness of her tone alarmed me; I was already moving. Now that the fog was gone, I could think clearly and was now aware of bodies of reiatsu around me. "What happened?"

"_We're doing all we can, but please find Hanatarou or Orihime!_"

My blood stopped cold. Someone was hurt.

And after concentrating hard enough, I was aware of a body of reiatsu slowly dying.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

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**A/N:** Gah! A cliffhanger! I'm so sorry for that… but it seemed perfect. :D Hope you all liked the chapter! Take note of the new themes! Check them out—these are two of my favorite songs!

So yeah, I said I had a big and important note to all of you Furareta readers. As of today,** FURARETA WILL BE ON A THREE-MONTH HIATUS. **And yes, it's because of college—which I leave for in two days. I'm sorry to leave you all hanging for so long, and I can understand if some of you get ticked with me and leave… but with the college I'm going to, I'll have little to no access to at all. I might be able to sneak on a few times, but I can't guarantee anything. I'm so sorry! You can definitely expect me back sometime during December though, and you can trust that I'll have chapters waiting to be uploaded! I love you all dearly, and thank you for sticking with me and dealing with me laggard updates for so long! Hopefully the cliffhanger will keep you guys with me!

Keep in mind that I am NOT giving up on this story, and that I plan to complete it! Please don't think for one second that I'm stopping the story! Megumi would never forgive me!

I wish you all a wonderful next three months! :)

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

**TK, rosesRred16, erina destiny, xxlemon, Kara, joster13, haku fan1, Naruto-Lover227, Slothy Girl, Mei Fire, Atama ga Ii, Holly, invisible-gurl, ih o w a l o n, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, AddictedtoBleach, Kana090, fanny-kun, xxSHiNJiRU, iiTs a Fantasy, RyuseiStreamGirl, viettvnt, LifesA(censored)ToMe, PennyArcadeFan2, Hiei's-Dark-Little-Phoenix, AkaMizu-chan, Uchiha Sasha, Sakiru Yume, XxStorms-Away.LovexX, BlackWingsOfTheRaven, Shanni-chan, snowcakes, NeferNeferi, Hidden Complexity, Kukino3, liana, TheKingJingles, tphoneyy, littleva, Akiko Rivers, RikuOfTheDesert, aoitsuki77, KusajishiFuktaicho, InLoveWithInsanity, Human.Vizard, Cat, NAO-chan33, The Elemental Alchemist Reyna, THANK YOU!**

I finally reached my dream number of 1000 reviews—and I have more than that, thanks to you guys. You are all so wonderful—thank you!

And don't forget to vote on my poll! If some of you are confused about the ending, I'll help you out. It really all depends on if you want another story after this. That's all it is. Don't even worry about the ending. Think of it that way. If you're content with just Furareta, then vote no. If you want a sequel, vote yes. It's as simple as that! :)

Once again, thank you all so much for your patience and willingness to put up with me.

**I'll see you all in December!**

-- with lots and lots of love,

bayo-bayo


	31. Sisters

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

SURPRISE, SURPRISE! Greetings from college, everyone! Hope you're all doing well. Dang, it feels like I haven't updated in forever; and I bet you guys probably already feel that way, haha. Sorry 'bout that. The college life is hard and stressful, but I still manage to find time to write up chapters for my story! Of course they'll come a lot slower, but I am no longer on hiatus! Whoopee! The quality of the chapters might be a little lower than usual, so forgive me for that. I'm so glad I managed to find a way to update though! And thank you guys for continuing to support me! You're all so awesome!

Me, being selfish, left you all with a terrible cliffhanger. Now let's satisfy your curiosity! Go on, reader—read on!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – O N E :**  
_ "Sisters"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

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I had to keep propping myself over the bunny's fluffy arm so I wouldn't sink and suffocate myself. Despite how awkward it felt prancing across the forest in the hands of an impossibly large and mobile stuffed animal, it was quite the comfortable transportation. I tried to imagine how the scene would've looked to random passer-bys and giggled to myself. I probably wouldn't buy another plush toy for the rest of my life.

"Where are we going?" I shouted over the wind, craning my neck to peek at its monstrous face. I wonder if it could actually see through those button eyes. "I know you can talk," I insisted after a few seconds of silence. This was probably the tenth time I've repeated myself for the past five minutes. "So at least nod or something. Are we heading back to Mimi?"

In one abrupt movement its arm flexed, shoving the its pillow-like forearm into my face and holding it there for a few seconds. It didn't take me forever to figure out what it was doing. '_Oh gosh, it's going to kill me!' _I struggled in vain against its surprisingly strong limb. What a way to die—not by an explosion from a psychopathic maniac who's obsessed with my mom, but from a cuddly and adorable stuffed rabbit suffocating me. Yup, that's my legacy. Toushirou would really be impressed with that.

Before my air flow became nonexistent, the arm retracted, reverting back to its original position across my torso. I gasped for oxygen, heaving like there was no tomorrow. I was guessing that was its version of saying 'shut up.' "Okay, okay, I won't talk anymore… just don't do that again," I pleaded, slumping over the arm. The bunny was as lethal as it was cute. After this, I'm never going to look at rabbits the same way again, in fear that it'll bloat to some impossible size and squeeze the air out of my lungs.

After a few seconds, I wanted to ask it when we would meet up with Metsuki again. I still felt bad about leaving Yoruichi and her back there, but at the same time I didn't want to get in the way. I'd rather run away than be a distraction and possible weakness for any of them. Despite how many times people have told me to forget about it, I just couldn't bear to be the only one useless in this entire circle. Every one of my friends could do something that made them valuable to the team, but what could I do? Attract trouble and put everyone in danger? Cause everyone bad luck? Why did I have to be the one to rely on every one—to be the only one defenseless and hopeless? It wasn't fair to them, and it wasn't fair to me at all. I was so helpless that even my baby sister—forget how deep and technical we could get into the subject—had to _fight_ a strong, sinister, and insane monster for me. I'm the big sister; _I'm_ supposed to be the one protecting.

Pfft. Sometimes I wished I was a Shinigami. At least I could fight.

But because I couldn't, I guess the only thing I could do was wish the best for them. Hope that they were all okay and wish for the best. Metsuki is a strong, feisty girl—she could beat Yasuo. Toushirou was sharp and always right on the mark—he could handle Damien. I had to be strong too, so that they wouldn't have to worry about me.

But what signified strength? How can I prove that I could be strong, that I don't have to be so reliable on others?

I didn't notice the bunny stop until it dropped me without warning. My rear met the ground with a thump, and pain throbbed sharply around my tailbone. I groaned and fell onto my back, glaring up at the stupid plush. "What was that for?" I sneered with irritation.

"He doesn't really have the voice to give warnings."

I sat up—though painful it was—to see the owner of the doll standing before me. Metsuki's twin crossed her arms impatiently. "So Metsuki is fighting Yasuo?" she asked in her soft, high-pitched voice. There was a mix of frustration and concern twisted onto her adorable face. "Even after almost twenty years, that sister of mine is so stupid…"

"Mimi," I half-groaned as I rubbed my toosh. "What's wrong? Why did you bring me here?"

"I didn't want you to get in the way," she huffed, semi-turning away. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she trailed off discreetly.

My skeptical expression was my response. "You're the last person I'd expect to protect me," I stated, plopping my hands on my hips. As I continued staring at her, though, as she fidgeted in her spot, drawing patterns into the ground with her toes, the realization dawned on me. My eyes widened. "Wait a second…"

She paused to glare at me.

A smile added to my eyes. At the sight of that, the usual condescending expression that Mimi always expressed (especially around me) suddenly became very self-conscious. "You're not protecting me… you're trying to protect _Metsuki_!" The embarrassed and caught expression on her face confirmed my assumption. It was an 'aww' moment, but I was more shocked than anything right now. Mimi had given me the impression that she couldn't stand her sister—she sure had me fooled! "Aww Mimi, you _do_ have a heart!"

The girl blushed slightly and turned away again, pouting her lower lip. "It's just… it's been so long since I've…" She was having trouble choosing her words.

I already knew where she was going with this. Who would've thought that the reason I was kidnapped was because of this? "You want me to help you make up with her, right?"

She was stunned. "How did you know?"

Was she serious?

I gave her a lop-sided grin. "Oh, you're pretty easy to read now that you've shown a new light. You and Metsuki are a lot alike, you know… never knowing how to ask for help when you need it." I rocked back and forth on my heels. Maybe there _was _a way that I could help Metsuki—by helping to renew the relationship between her and her sister.

"I… I don't know how to," Mimi admitted, falling back onto the grass. The tension in her tiny body loosened and she pulled her knees up to rest her chin on them. Absent-mindedly, she continued her artwork on the ground with her forefinger. "Especially after what I've done to her. I chose the Bounto over her, and even killed the guy who took her away… How could she ever forgive me for that?"

Instantaneously I remembered the expression on Metsuki's face as Mimi's name was brought up in a conversation. The distant, thoughtful, and sorrowful expression that looked so out of place on her happy-go-lucky, always-smiling face. "You know, Mimi," I started, kneeling down to her level. Without moving her head, she gazed up at me. "I think she's been waiting to make things right with you too. Knowing her, I think she's ready to forgive anything you did to her because… because well, you're her sister."

She stared at me for a second longer before snorting and looking away. "You humans are always so corny."

I stuck my tongue out sheepishly. "Sorry for being human."

"But thanks," she replied, a small smile lighting her face. It was the first time I've seen her smile—and it made my grin all the brighter. "I guess you aren't as hideous as you first appeared…"

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks. It must be the new outfit." Yes, I said that—but hey, it made her laugh. Maybe I was right—maybe Mimi wasn't a jerk wad.

"That was _really _bad."

"I know."

By this time she had lifted her head to quietly inspect my face. I identified an expression of skepticism. "So… you'll help me?" she asked almost timidly, as if I was the only person on earth who could.

That thought made me feel amazing. "Of course! Anything for my… my…" Hmm. Well that certainly was an interesting concept. I wandered off as the new thought struck me, my eyes slowly widening.

Mimi blinked. "What?"

I looked away for a second, repeating my abrupt thought quickly in my mind. After a few seconds of her staring at me and me sinking deeper into thinking mode, I turned back to her with a gradually increasing smile. "Anything for my… sisters."

Technically, if Metsuki and Mimi were sisters and Metsuki is my legal sister, that would make Mimi a relative too, wouldn't it? The thought was so bizarre that I almost started laughing at the idea—I didn't want to insult her. Unfortunately, the little blondie didn't offer me the same courtesy.

At first her eyes bulged in their sockets, completely and utterly stunned at my words. She was staring so hard that I thought I would bear a hole in my forehead, until finally her eyes fell from my face and to the grass, running the words through her mind—and, after what seemed like a long and offensive three minutes, she looked at me again. "You and me… _sisters_?" she repeated. She didn't wait for a response, and cut me off with an abrupt laugh.

"Oh. My. _Goodness_." Her tone was quite insulting. She was almost literally on the ground laughing so hard that I thought her lungs had deflated. "That has _got_ to be one of the most hilarious things I have ever heard… oh my goodness. Sisters—you and me. Is this punishment for killing Hakuto?" she prattled, smacking her forehead.

"Thanks," I rolled my eyes. Maybe she was a jerk wad after all. "So we have to come up with a way to get you and Metsuki alone to talk." Now it was business time. I almost forgot that my little sister in question is fighting a psychopath.

"That won't be very easy," she admitted, straightening herself on her legs.

I shrugged. "I think Metsuki can take Yasuo down."

"No, not that… but I do disagree with you still," Mimi replied, folding her fingers behind her back.

My brow arched. "What is it then?"

"It's… I don't know what to say to her."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, that's easy. Just tell her what you told me! Well, almost told me, anyway…" I giggled sheepishly. "Tell her that you want to make up with her. That's all you have to say—just say what's on your mind. She would want nothing else."

"Corny humans…" she snarled.

"Stubborn Bounto," I sighed.

"You make it sound so easy," she pouted. "If there was one thing I can't do, it would be apologizing."

"We don't need apologies—just talk," I said, giving her a grin. "It's only hard if you make it hard. Otherwise, it's all just in your head."

She sniffed. "But I have a good head on my shoulders."

"Pffft."

She smiled again. Oh, this girl was too much. Her smiles were heart-warming. "Well, I'm sure if you could do it, then I could definitely do it."

I let that slide. "Go for it!"

A thought crossed my mind. I wonder if Yoruichi knew about Mimi's problem. Is that why she let the bunny take me away? That woman always struck me as the perceptive, observant type. She _is_ part cat, after all. I considered the question for a few seconds and decided to let it drop. Even if I asked her, she probably wouldn't have told me anyway. She hit me as that kind of person too. Ugh, she seemed more and more like Toushirou by the minute. No wonder I liked her so much.

"First we need to find Metsuki again," I said, crossing my arms. As my mind wandered back to the commencement of her match, I frowned. "Do you think the fight is still going on?"

"Yasuo likes to draw out his matches, kind of like to torture and play around with his opponent," Mimi responded nonchalantly, brushing off her dress. She saw me cringe at the word 'torture.' And Toushirou fought with him before… "But don't worry, Metsuki knows how he fights," she quickly added. "She's not some dinky little human child; she packs a lot of power."

"You know that saying 'I'll never look at them the same way again'?" I asked with irrelevance. Her confused silence was my response and I quickly continued, "That isn't the case with her. She'll always be Nagasuki Metsuki to me. Sure, she's a little special, but she's still my legal sister and relative."

Mimi stared at me again, registering my words, before replying, "Hmm. I guess that's one more thing different about you and me." She paused with a sheepish grin. "When she fell in love with that Shinigami so long ago, she took on a whole new identity to me. She wasn't my sister anymore; she was my enemy. That was what Yasuo has been drilling into our minds ever since we joined his group—Shinigami were out to kill us, so we had to kill them first. I guess now I'm paying for falling to his lies."

"You speak as if you've lost your chances," I huffed offensively. "If anyone has no hope, it would be that psycho. You, Mimi, have all the chances in the world; and luckily, your twin happens to be one of the most merciful people in the world."

"We'll see how merciful she is after I tell her the truth." Her voice was quiet, her eyes downcast. She glanced up at me through her long lashes. "After Hakuto died, she told me something." I waited for her to continue. "She said that whoever was responsible for taking the reason of her existence away will die by her hands."

That was a baffling quotation. Never in my life did I think Metsuki was capable of saying such things—and I wasn't even kidding. Mimi didn't look at me again after perfectly mimicking Metsuki's voice and she began to stalk away, her over-stuffed rabbit bounding after her. Metsuki—she was still the same Metsuki I've always known, but that didn't amend the fact that she was what she was: a Shinigami. She wasn't seven years old, she wasn't sheltered from the cruelties of the world; no, she was right there in the midst of some of the darkest times, even before I was alive. She was born the twin to a Bounto, a special human who lives of the reiatsu of other human beings. She fell into a group of five other Bounto, the leader of which was one of the craziest people I've ever met. She fell in love with a Shinigami, the enemy of the Bounto; and he was killed by a Bounto, which she may or may not have known might be her sister.

Metsuki's had it in for her. That made me feel all the worse that she had to fight and put her life in danger for the sake of me, someone who didn't deserve to be fought over. What made me feel better about the situation was the fact that what Yasuo was really after was my mom, whom I happen to be the physical reincarnate of. My mother was important in the lives of these Bounto, whereas I was just some clumsy little middle school student who was trying to get through her geometry class with at least a B.

Even if Metsuki's words were totally unlike her, I couldn't believe that it was impossible for her to have said it. As kind, sweet, and gentle as she was, there was no pain deeper than losing someone you loved. If someone had taken Toushirou away from me, well, sanity would mean nothing to me and I'd either be one) killed by my own misery or two) get killed trying to murder the culprit. She has been through so much, and I didn't even realize it until a few hours ago.

Metsuki… I promise I will never let her fight for my sake again.

"Are you coming? We'll leave you behind," Mimi called from the shoulder of her doll.

The stuffed rabbit seemed to not like the idea of carrying me along with it again. "Do you know where Metsuki is?" I asked as it, nonetheless, scooped me up into one of its arms.

"We're getting there," Mimi responded. "Let's go, Usacho."

Finally the name of the doll is revealed. Usacho obediently bounded back into the woods at a surprising rate. I had to once again grab fistfuls of its arms to keep myself from slipping beneath him. How long Mimi and I been talking in the clearing? Ten minutes? Fifteen minutes? Fifteen minutes of Metsuki fighting alone with Yasuo… That is, unless Yoruichi stayed with her. I really hope she did. As much as I trusted Metsuki alone, the thought of it just being Yasuo and her fighting made chills run down my spine.

"Do you think she'll really forgive me?" Mimi quietly asked, peering down at me. Her hair whipped behind her, yet she stayed perfectly perched on the shoulder.

"Of course," I replied with effort. It was hard to talk, keep my balance, and hold my head above the arm at the same time. "When I think about someone killing Toushirou, yes, I would probably say that the murderer would be killed. But if that had been you, Mimi, I wouldn't hold his blood to your account. No, I would go after Yasuo, the mastermind behind this whole idea. It was still a mistake on your part, but I wouldn't be able to kill you, especially if you were my sister; and the reason for your killing Hakuto was a realistic reason, even if it wasn't correct judgment."

"Humph. You're just like her," she complained. "Have some Bounto friends and then fall in love with a Shinigami; the madness just doesn't end, does it?"

I laughed. "I guess not."

"You humans are so—"

I giggled again as I knew what she was going to say. Even after her pause I was waiting for her to continue, but she stopped cold. The silence alarmed me, especially after Usacho stopped prancing. I propelled half of my body upward so I could clearly see over the arm of the rabbit, trying to see what had caused Mimi to stop talking, until my blood drained from my face.

Yasuo. Ten yards away from us.

He stood there perfectly still, eying us with a sarcastic glint in his eyes. Judging by his casual posture, he looked like he was waiting for us. "Great job, Mimi," Yasuo drawled, clapping his large hands. The sound boomed off the trees and I suddenly found it hard to breathe. My grip on the rabbit clenched harder. "You brought Megumi-chan right to me. What a good girl you are."

Wait, I wanted to say. Where's Metsuki?

"Yasuo," Mimi breathed, trying to stay calm. I could tell she was wondering the same thing. "Where's Metsuki?"

"Oh, that nuisance of a Shinigami that was once your sister?" he replied, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Somewhere back there, I presume. She wasn't a very impressive opponent."

My breath caught in my throat and my fists clenched. No. He did not just say that. He did not just… "Yasuo, you—"

"Will you please bring her to me, Mimi? It's difficult being so far away from my beloved Akina."

Mimi seemed to be at a loss for words. I could feel the emotion leaking off her and affecting her doll. Usacho took one staggering step forward, the expression on Mimi's face unreadable; until abruptly my rear met ground and the doll and its owner shot forward, Mimi uttering a pained cry. Yasuo seemed unaffected as he smoothly dodged a fist thrown by her doll.

I watched in stunned awe from my spot on the ground.

"How _dare_ you!" she shouted as she continued a barrage of deadly attacks, Usacho's fists cleanly cutting the air as he tried to land a hit on Yasuo. "Metsuki is alive, I can feel her; now where is she?!"

"I believe you didn't care for her, Mimi; why the sudden change of heart?" Yasuo's tone seemed to be mocking her as he seemed to dance out of the way of each punch and kick.

I climbed to shaky feet, gripping onto a tree for balance. "Metsuki," I breathed. There was no way Yasuo could have… No. She's alive. She has to be.

"Bring her back, you—you monster!" Mimi wailed, crazed by the thought of her sister being dead.

"Monster?" Yasuo repeated, offended. "I don't believe I've taught you to speak of that way to me either, Mimi." It was one small movement of his wrist—a flicking motion—and Mimi and her doll were sent flying back at least ten feet.

Immediately I shot to my feet. "Mimi!" I screamed, flinching as she made a collision with a tree. Luckily, Usacho had wrapped its humongous arms around Mimi, acting as a shield as he took the impact. There were barely any scratches on any of them, but I couldn't say the same about the tree, unfortunately. Oh no. Please don't let another fight start—I can't handle the drama anymore! "Mimi, are you all right?"

She wiped her sleeve over her eyes, which had been stained red with tears. In her sorrow she didn't hear me and instead took flight towards Yasuo, who was waiting for her with the smirk that so aggravated me. "Metsuki," I breathed. My heart had jumped to my throat and I could feel my pulse throbbing in my head. There was no way that she could have lost. No possible way. Metsuki couldn't die on me—no. She didn't. I didn't believe she did.

Mimi didn't seem to believe it either; she said she could 'feel' her. Her reiatsu must be leaking from some direction; but from where? I wasn't as sensitive to spirit energy as she or Toushirou was. If there was only a way I could know, some way to find her; then I could bring her here and help Mimi do what she's wanted to do for a long time: be her sister again.

"What do you think you're trying to accomplish, Mimi?" Yasuo asked as blows her exchanged. "Metsuki left you, remember? She left you for that filthy Shinigami. She left her twin sister, half of herself, for someone else. Do you remember how sad you were? How angry and miserable she left you?"

"Shut up!" she screamed. "I don't care anymore… I don't care."

"A shame that you decided to rebel against me," Yasuo commented. For a brief moment his eyes flashed. I opened my mouth to scream, but an explosion took its place. There was a boom between Yasuo and the doll and Mimi was blown back onto the grass. "You're still too weak. I guess I would have run out of uses for you anyway," Yasuo murmured to himself as he sauntered to where she was panting, dirty, on the ground.

I couldn't move.

Neither could she.

"I regret that things had to end this way, my dear." Yasuo raised his fingers. Fire danced around his fingertips and materialized into a flaming spear. "Metsuki at could at least land a few strikes on me; maybe it was better for her to have been the Bounto rather than you."

He reared back his arm, ready to deal the final blow. I found the blood in my legs and I began to run, the wind bombarding my face. Mimi watched him, struggling and holding her side from the force of the previous explosion. I couldn't make it in time.

She was going to die.

"Mimi!" I wailed. I saw her close her eyes.

The spear flew.

There was blood.

And then, my world shattered.

Mimi uttered the first scream.

"_Metsuki!"_

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

* * *

**A/N:** Kind of a cliffhanger, but not really—you all know what's probably going to happen. But with me, you never know! Haha. I hope you all liked it! The way I wrote may seem a little off to you. I hope it didn't, but if it did, I'm terribly sorry! I'm a little stressed over here, and the writing might seem rushed or jumbled. This is a good outlet for it all though—I love this story! And you guys! This is the only story I've ever kept writing for almost a year! Wow, can you believe it? In December I'll have been with Furareta for a year. Crazy how fast the time flies by, huh? Thank you all so much for your never-ending support and loyalty. This story would be dead without you guys. )

More Toushirou, definitely, in the next chapter. Once again, thank you guys for everything. I don't have time to write a shout out to all the reviewers like I usually do, but you know who you all are; and I want you to know that you're number one in this story. Thanks so much!

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!


	32. Metsuki

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hello again, everyone! :) Surprised to see me back in two weeks? So soon! Haha, I'm actually proud of myself. Here I am with another chapter for you all. It's a longer one, so I hope you like it! More words at the end of the chapter!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – TW O :**  
_ "Metsuki"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

**( NAGASUKI MEGUMI )**

"_Metsuki!"_

The scream was deafening, terrifying, frantic—and cut right through my heart, slicing it clean. The scene that had just played before me was something I would never forget for the rest of eternity.

Yasuo had stepped forward to deal the final blow and end Mimi's life. No matter how fast I could run, I knew I would never get there in time—not like I could be much help to her anyway. The flaming spear in the Bounto's hand thrust forward, penetrating the air—

— and through the chest of a little blonde girl that was all too familiar to me.

Metsuki uttered no scream, no yelp as she teleported in the way of the attack, bravely facing the spear head-on. She must have been near enough to see the situation and flash-step. But I couldn't see, and I couldn't breathe. My knees shook and I nearly stumbled over still ground as that one second of my life played and replayed over and over in my mind like a broken film. It must be an illusion. It _had_ to have been. Mimi and I came back to help her in her fight and make peace between her and her twin. This wasn't supposed to have happened. Yasuo shouldn't have gotten the upper hand, Mimi shouldn't have started a fight, and Metsuki shouldn't have come back—

"_Metsuki!"_ Mimi screamed again. The heartbroken cry of the identical twin brought me back to the unrealistic scene and I nearly choked over my own breath.

Blood—blood everywhere. Deafening screams, the pounding of my heart inside my head, my mind screaming—no. _No_.

Metsuki. "Metsuki," I breathed. It took two seconds for me to find my legs and initiate a desperate sprint. "_Metsuki!"_

My little sister seemed to hang in the air, even after Yasuo drew back his spear. Mimi lay there with Metsuki's still body in her arms, tears streaming down her face as she yelled in her face to talk to her. There were three—no, four voices. Mimi's, mine, Yasuo's… and Yoruichi's. I briefly caught the dark skin of the cat woman when she agilely leaped into the scene, taking advantage of the situation as she flew towards Yasuo.

The glance she spared me was sympathetic, concerned. "Take care of her!" she shouted as Yasuo parried her blow.

"Stupid girl," Yasuo said, almost in amusement, as he danced to Yoruichi's moves.

I was already by her side, dazed as I tried to register what was going on. Metsuki was staring up with weak, blind eyes that were ill-focused. "Mimi—Mimi. It's okay." It sounded like she was trying to laugh, make a joke out of what was happening. "It's not the end of the world."

Mimi didn't play along. The tone she was shouting in wasn't gentle or soothing. "You _idiot!_ Why the heck did you do that?! Why did you allow yourself to get hurt like this?! What if it's irreversible?! What if—"

"Mimi, please," Metsuki whispered, and winced. The Shinigami garb she was wearing was quickly being consumed in a dark crimson red. "Nee-chan—Nee-chan? Are you okay?"

Idiot. Why was she asking about me?

My eyes stayed focused on her darkening clothes and paling skin as I talked. "Metsuki… You're…"

You're dying. You're dying, Metsuki…

"I know," she whispered, trying to find my face. The color was quickly draining from her face. It broke my heart to look at her in this state. "I'm sorry, nee-chan."

I could hear Yoruichi and Yasuo exchanging blows in the distance. Metsuki's words were soft, almost incoherent; Mimi's sobs were slowly sinking into the background of my mind. All I could here was the throbbing of my heart in my mind and Metsuki's shallow breaths. My sister was dying, and I couldn't do anything but watch.

"Metsuki…" I laughed. It was a quiet, nervous laughter. "Metsuki, you can't. Don't be stupid."

You're so pale, Metsuki. The color is being sucked right out of you.

Toushirou… Toushirou...! Where are you?

"Metsuki, no! You can't die! Don't leave me yet! Just when I wanted to—just when I was going to—"

"Mimi," she flinched again, and the grip she had seized over my hand tightened. My body froze. "I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm sorry it's been so long since we've actually talked—and when we actually do get to talk… I had to—"

"Be chivalrous and get impaled for me," Mimi finished bitterly. There was no emotion on her face, but she did offer a forced, weary smile. "I'm sorry too, sis'. When you left us for that… Shinigami, it made me feel so alone… and jealous. I missed you… And… I'm sorry that I… that I was stupid enough to…"

"It's okay. I knew," Metsuki giggled. "I always knew it was you who took Hakuto. I forgave you a long time ago."

Tears streamed down Mimi's face and she carefully hugged her sister. "Metsuki… I'm so, so sorry," she murmured again and again.

I didn't realize I was crying until tears dropped one-by-one down my face. "Metsuki… I'm sorry… It's because of me that you're—"

"Don't start, nee-chan," Metsuki murmured. Her hand was growing cold, the trembling slowly dropping. My heart sped faster as hers lagged. Her breathing deepened. "Toushirou-kun's already whined enough about how you're always saying that."

She was running out of time.

"But Metsuki, you wouldn't have been fighting Yasuo if I wasn't…" I trailed as my voice grew shallower, more frantic as I caught the sense of nearing death as the seconds ticked by. Blood was beginning to stain the leaves and my knees as I crouched beside her, squeezing her free hand. "Please don't leave. You can't."

"I'm sorry," Metsuki sincerely said. Her tone was pained. I could see in her other hand she was clutching her zanpakutou, which was covered in her blood. My stomach lurched. As if she could sense my stare, she tried lifting that arm. "Nee-chan, do you trust me?"

I choked on a sob. "Don't ask stupid questions, Metsuki."

Metsuki giggled. "Yes. Of course." Her voice was weakening. "I won't be here for much longer, so I want you to take something from me."

Don't say that, Metsuki. Please don't say things like that…

I swallowed hard. "What's that?"

"My power."

Mimi's eyes widened. "Metsuki…"

The term confused me. "What are you talking about?"

"Mimi, please help me with this," Metsuki asked. The look on her face didn't make her sister protest. Mimi supported Metsuki's shoulders with one arm and gently clamped a hand over hers—the hand that wielded the sword. "Listen carefully, nee-chan. This is going to sound weird, but I want you to—" She was interrupted by a small series of abrupt coughs.

I started, leaning forward. "Metsuki—"

"Megumi," Mimi said, cutting me off. "Metsuki wants you to have what's left of her power. She's not going to be here for much longer, so she wants to give you whatever power as a Shinigami that she has. But in order to do that—" she paused to slowly swing the sword in my direction, holding the sharp end towards me, "—you have to plunge her sword through your heart."

"I'll have… Metsuki's power?" I repeated, my voice soft and almost unable to hear. The words came from my mouth, but it meant nothing to me. I was so consumed with watching Metsuki that I wasn't even alarmed when the zanpakutou was staring right at me. "But why do I have to—"

"Just do it," Mimi curtly said.

"Please, nee-chan," Metsuki whispered. I could barely hear her. "I'll always be with you. I'll protect you."

I just had to hear her voice to make me do the unthinkable.

Yasuo seemed to hear the plan and turned, yelling something that I couldn't make out.

I took Mimi and Metsuki's clasped hands in mine and, without a last regretting thought, plunged the tip into my heart. I didn't know what this would do, and I didn't know what "receiving Metsuki's power" meant.

I just wanted to be with her.

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

The forest flew behind me as I forced my legs forward, urging them faster. Matsumoto's urgent message had me racing in cold sweat. Someone was hurt. Someone was fighting. Someone's reiatsu was dying. And I wasn't there.

Nagasuki Metsuki—her reiatsu was taking a sharp, alarming nosedive. Four other bodies were nearby her: two Bounto, one Shinigami… and one human.

My eyes narrowed. "Nagasuki," I breathed as leaves swirled around me. I was getting closer, but I knew I was going to be late. Maybe too late. Metsuki's reiatsu was almost untraceable now. There was a Bounto by her side, and Nagasuki was on the other side. Which Bounto was it? Daijiro was fighting with Shihouin, who was no doubt trying to draw attention away from the trio in the corner. But why was there a Bounto with Nagasuki? Was it Hikaru? I still couldn't understand which side he was on. With the way he killed Damien without an ounce of remorse, he could be rebelling from Daijiro, but that didn't necessarily mean that he was on our team. And even if he was, it would probably just be because of Nagasuki.

As much as an advantage he would be to the team even if he had switched, I still wasn't comfortable around him—especially after he deemed me his "rival." Please, I already had enough to think about. And since he was a Bounto, I wouldn't be able to overrule my authorities' powers anyway. All Bounto were to be obliterated.

I didn't know how long it took me to get to the clearing. Five minutes? Ten minutes? Fifteen? I lost track. Time was nonexistent as soon as I burst into the clearing, panting as if I had just run ten marathons. I hadn't even been running that hard; I've definitely gone faster. The urgency of the situation knocked me out of breath.

And I lost it all as soon as I saw the blood.

The body of reiatsu was gone.

The group of familiar faces was gathered around the subject of the urgency, and I numbly nudged my way into the center. Matsumoto was near the middle; she was standing with her hands clutching her arms, her pale blue eyes lowered in sadness. When she saw me out of her peripheral view, she turned to me with a blank expression and wordlessly moved out of the way for my entry. Yamada and Inoue was the second layer of the body, and they were standing next to each other with an expression to match my lieutenant's. When they saw me, both of their eyes were filled with tears.

And then, in the very center, was where I lost all feeling.

Blood stained the grass, at least three feet in diameter in every direction. The other Bounto that I couldn't identify was gone. Nagasuki sat near the edge of the stain with blood covering her skirt and legs. Her back was facing me, and she was as motionless as a stone.

She wasn't even trembling.

There was a moment of silence around the circle, and I stepped forward. "Nagasuki," I murmured, honestly unsure of what to say.

She didn't respond to her name, but she did answer to my voice. "She's gone. She's gone, Toushirou." Her voice was soft, almost too soft for my ears to hear. Her bloody fingers were clutching the grass, as white as snow. Her tousled blue-gray hair hung in her face, hiding it from my view. "She tried to protect me… She fought Yasuo because of me. And now she's gone."

"Megumi-chan," Matsumoto murmured.

"Her reiatsu was gone by the time we got here," Kurosaki quietly informed me, although respectfully quiet. "Yoruichi drove Yasuo away and went to go find Urahara-san."

I didn't answer to him and stooped down to her level, placing a careful palm on her shoulder. "Come on, Nagasuki. You should go home."

"I left to find Metsuki. I have to bring her back home. I can't go without her," she rejected, shrugging away from me. Her petite body scooted away from me and she turned her head purposefully away from me. "Why didn't you come, Toushirou?"

I flinched, my hand on her shoulder frozen. The question stunned me speechless.

"I was waiting for you to come to help, but you never came," she whispered, slowly turning to meet my shocked gaze. The look on her face almost made me gasp.

Snow. That was what color her face was.

Her eyes were empty, blank blues as she stared at my face, waiting for the answer that I couldn't give. "If you were here, she wouldn't have died. You should have come sooner, Toushirou."

Kurosaki started. "Hey—"

"That's not—"

"Megumi-chan!" Matsumoto scolded, stepping forward.

I hushed them with the back of my palm. "Go back, everyone," I ordered quietly.

Matsumoto protested, "But taichou—"

"Go. _Now_." I turned to authorize my command. I don't know what it was exactly, but a look on my face made her humble.

I didn't wait for them as I turned back to Nagasuki, whose eyes never left me. Dry tears stained her cheeks and her eyes bulged at me, looking as if she was one of Kurotsuchi's experiments just walking out of the basement. "Let's go home, Nagasuki," I whispered, gently taking her wrists and tugging on them. "You need to rest."

"No. I can't," she whimpered, pulling away from me. I held my grip. "Not without Metsuki!"

My eyes softened and I pulled her towards me, bloody and all. She fought—hard—as her fists pounded against my chest and shoulders, with her face buried in the crook of my neck. "Stop—stop! Let go of me," she cried, her pounding becoming weaker by the second. "Please… I need to find Metsuki."

With a small sigh, I held her shoulders and gently pushed her back so I could look at her. Tears were now fresh on her cheeks, shamelessly streaming down. I had seen this many times in my subordinates and other humans. It was nothing new to me, and I've done my share of attempting to comfort those who suffer the loss; but with Nagasuki, it was different.

Much different.

"Nagasuki…" I said, finally noticing for the first time that the others had gone. She didn't look at me. "Nagasuki…" I sighed, almost in exasperation. No reaction. The next words slipped out of my mouth without me thinking. "Megumi." She flinched, as did I. "Listen to me. She's gone."

Her head lifted, staring at me with wide, confused eyes. I firmly watched her expression as it went from confusion, to anger, to disbelief, and finally to sorrow. Liquid ran anew from the corners of her eyes. She was a wreck. "She's gone. She's not coming back home, is she?" she asked, her small hands trembling as they gripped my sleeves. Desperation, loss, bewilderment—she searched my eyes for answers.

There was nothing else I could say. "I'm sorry."

She backed off, her grip on my sleeves loosening for a moment; and she broke down.

Without a thought she flew back into my arms, holding her face to my chest and leaning her quivering frame against me, sobbing for all she was worth. I closed my eyes, sympathy swelling over me as I held her there in silent comfort. What else could I do?

She was murmuring to herself, her voice muffled by her chokes and my clothes. "Metsuki… oh, Metsuki…"

Confusion welled within me, reminding me of the time that had just passed prior to her death. Not willing to dwell on those thoughts again, I shoved them to the back of my mind as I drew her closer, sighing into her hair. "I'm sorry," I whispered again.

* * *

**( NAGASUKI MEGUMI )**

Nightmares—rather, the same nightmare over and over again.

A clear field of green. Yasuo and Mimi fighting. Metsuki taking Yasuo's finishing blow. Over and over and over again…

"_Please, nee-chan," Metsuki whispered, blood trickling down the corner of her lips. "I'll always be with you. I'll protect you."_

_Those were the words that made me do what I wouldn't have done, not in a million years._

_Taking Metsuki and Mimi's hands in both of mine, I plunged the tip of the zanpakutou into my heart without a single regretting thought. As a light blinded me, I could briefly remember the excruciating pain that I was in, if only for a second—before the world came back in focus. There was blood still on the ground._

_Metsuki was not._

_Mimi embraced air, tears streaming down her face. Thick sobs rang out from her throat as I sat there in silence, my focus lost. I didn't know why Metsuki had asked me to do what I did, but whatever the reason, it made her disappear. My own sobs didn't come immediately after the realization and registration of her death. The feeling that swept over me during the brief moments of shock, ironically, was warmth—a calm, peaceful warmth that heated up my soul._

'_It's okay, nee-chan. I'm here.'_

_I could hear her inside me, trying to soothe me. On the ground where she was, I saw something glinting under the dimming light of the sun—a bracelet. It was the friendship bracelet that she and I shared. Thick white and black beads were intermixed with golden stars. I scooped it up in my hands, mechanically staring at it with glazed eyes._

_Mimi glanced once at me, her face twisted with loss and pain. "Your friends are coming. I'm leaving." I could barely make out her words before she picked herself up and got into my face. "You can_not_ tell anyone what you just did. Do not tell _anyone_ about what Metsuki asked you to do. You'll regret it." And with that, she bounced away, her doll in tow._

_I could hear voices. Metsuki's voice soothing me, Yoruichi's alarmed tone, Yasuo's cry—_

_And I drowned it all out and screamed for Toushirou._

I awoke in cold sweat, my face wet and my pillow damp. A frigid breeze wafted from the open window, and it took me a moment to realize that it was still as dark as pitch outside. My eyes were wide, hurting and dry as the wind brushed across them.

I slowly sat up, not really aware of where I was or what I was doing. All I could register was loss and confusion. With a shaking hand I felt for my heart, searching for the warmth that filled me hours before. It was still there, lingering weakly. I didn't know what to do. Metsuki… gone…

"Nagasuki, are you okay?"

The voice stung me. I think it was meant to come as a surprise, but I was too numb to register much else but shock… and pain. Robotically I turned towards the source of the voice, my eyes wide as they searched through the darkness. The silhouette of an angel stood next to my bed.

Oh. The open window. That meant Toushirou was here.

Takuya-oji was stunned speechless when he saw me on the front porch as I tried to make a decent face for him to look at. It took me a while to convince him that I was out jogging in the forest and I tripped over a tree branch. Toushirou left me there, promising me he'd be waiting in my room, and he's been with me ever since.

"You're still here?" I asked, trying to put emotion in my voice.

I could almost hear him rolling his eyes. I wish I could see them, but it was too dark. "Well, I can't leave you alone when you're like this, can I?"

"I'll be fine… eventually." A lie. "You should be reporting back to your superior or something, shouldn't you? And what about Rangiku and Momo?"

"They all want me here. I'm not the only one that's concerned, you know," Toushirou responded, surprisingly close. I felt something warm press against my forehead—his hand. "You're burning, idiot. Now you're sick."

"Oh, joy," I murmured, swatting his hand away. "I'm fine, Toushirou. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here—you can go do your Shinigami stuff."

I could feel tears coming on. I didn't want him to see me like this—not again. I had already embarrassed myself enough in front of him. "Go away, Toushirou," I sighed in exasperation, taking one of my pillows and chucking it at him. "I'm not leaving, I said. Now get!"

He smoothly caught it, the gentle look in his eyes never fading. With one stride, he was leaning down next to me, and his palm fell on my shoulder. "She was your sister, Nagasuki. It's all right to mourn." His teal eyes illuminated in the darkness, the gaze fierce, yet tender.

I sniffed. Well, he asked for it. I scooted back against my headboard and pulled my knees up to my chest. A passing glance at the clock told me it was about two o'clock in the morning. "Why did it have to be her, Toushirou? Yasuo wanted _me_. Metsuki didn't have to… didn't deserve… to…" I choked on the word. "… die."

"She wanted to protect you," Toushirou said, taking a seat at the foot of my bed. He doesn't know about the resistance yet. I was too scatter-brained to explain right now. "Even at the cost of her life."

It was the same response over and over again. "I'm sick of being useless. I'm tired of always having to be the one protected," I sighed, burying my face in my knees. "Why am I the only one so helpless?"

"Nagasuki—"

"Don't start," I interjected, not bothering to lift my face. "You know it's true. If it weren't for me, Metsuki wouldn't have died trying to protect me. It's my fault that she's gone. Don't bother trying to dissuade me."

Toushirou took a few moments to think about his next words. "She loved you," he quietly said. "When someone precious to you is in danger… what would you do?"

I sighed. Loudly. The answer was obvious. "She didn't deserve it."

"It was a noble death."

"An unfair one… an unneeded one," I argued. "I have another life to live after this one. She… doesn't."

"No one has two lives, Nagasuki," Toushirou retorted. He was tired—I could hear it in his voice. "As a human, you have many advantages that we souls don't have. I wouldn't call this a 'life.' This is more like a… sentence. Once you die, you either spend the rest of eternity in Rukongai, where you don't have access to this world at all, or as a Shinigami, where you live every day doing work, fighting, and rarely being able to come to this world for anything else but on business."

I sighed again. "But—"

"To be honest… I prefer the human life. It's simple, easy, and patterned." He paused and I could feel his eyes on me. "… For the most part."

"Exactly," I murmured. "Maybe I should just kill myself and become a Shinigami. Then maybe I'd be more useful to the world—"

"Don't you _ever_ say that."

The tone of his voice made me jump. I lifted my head to look at him; his teal eyes were burning, even in the darkness. "What would she have died for then? Don't mock her."

I gazed at him for a few seconds before letting my eyes drop again. Briefly my mind flashed back to the moment—the life-changing scene—that would forever be imbedded in my heart. Metsuki's laugh, her smile, her gentleness, her love, all flashed in cut portions in my head. She died protecting me. She died because she loved me. Tears welled anew in my eyes. "I miss her." She would never be coming back again.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there," Toushirou said. "Maybe—"

I sniffed abruptly, trying to make my voice coherent. "N-No, it's not your fault. I'm sorry I said that," I whimpered. I looked at him, glad that the night was somewhat obscuring my face that was, no doubt, a mess. "I'm afraid to sleep. I see her on the back of my eyelids… I see and remember everything about her, and wonder if there was maybe something I could do to prevent what had happened. But there is no way, is there?" I was more asking myself than I was asking him. "Her last words were, 'I'll always be with you. I'll protect you.' But am I really that important? Am I important enough that someone should die for me? It isn't fair…"

"You mean more to your friends more than you may realize," he absent-mindedly responded, gazing out towards the window. "Don't let her death be in vain, Nagasuki. Live. That's what she wants."

"If only I had the power to," I sighed.

"I'll protect you," Toushirou said, not looking at me still. "I swear that I won't let you die."

The tears only ran fresher. "That's what she would have wanted, right?" I sighed. "I can't believe that girl."

"She's quite the character."

I forced a giggle, and stared at him. "Hey. Would you do something for me?"

He glanced at me finally. "What?"

I shifted my eyes to the clock. "It's way past my bedtime. But you know how I can't really sleep without getting nightmares?" I then looked at him again, not believing I was going to ask him to do this. "Um. Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Toushirou stared at me for a moment, looking almost as surprised as I was for asking him that. "Uh…"

My face heated up to the normal warmth that I usually had around him. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I mean, I _am_ fourteen—I should be able to sleep by myself. And I know you're tired too. Don't think that you're hurting my feelings by not staying!" I blurted afterwards, now even more embarrassed.

He shook his head. "No… I mean, uh, I guess I can." The look on his face was quizzical as he turned away, backing himself up on the foot of my bed until his back hit the wall. He let himself relax as he leaned back.

I blinked. Really? "Th-Thanks," I stuttered, shocked. "Um, I'll go to bed then." Without looking at him, I curled back up under my covers. "Good night."

"Sleep well," he whispered, consumed in thought.

He didn't know it, but I didn't sleep a wink that night. But he stayed with me even after the crack of dawn, loyally perched at the foot of my bed.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

* * *

**A/N:** It may be a little scattered and not as effective as I want it to be, but I hope you catch the emotion that I tried to word here.

Yes, everyone, Nagasuki Metsuki is no more. But I guess you were expecting that. I don't think you were expecting what happened during the death though… haha. I guess you'll have to wait until you find out what I'm gonna do with it!

Toushirou makes his grand return, and we have a co-narrative chapter! Yay!

What's going to happen next?

Thank you guys so much for your last reviews. I wouldn't have even bothered continuing the story if it weren't for you guys. Honestly, thank you so much. And you guys still continued to review and support me even after I announced the hiatus! Oh my goodness, you guys are wonderful to me. Once again, I don't have time to write out every single reviewer, but my special and loving thanks extends especially to you all. Thank you **so much**.

Please keep supporting me! I want to continue this story as much as you guys want me to! :)

Peace,

bayo – bayo

P.S.: Midterms are coming up here, so I may or may not update early due to much needed studying.


	33. Count Your Blessings

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

HI EVERYONE! I'm back! And with a chapter! Hopefully you guys all enjoy this one—it's extra long, just how you like it. As of December 13th, I'll be at home for five weeks—until January 19th—and totally available to produce chapters! Woohoo! So while on that thought, sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice hot cup of Furareta!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

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_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

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**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – T H R E E :**  
_"Count Your Blessings"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

"Megumi-chan, are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Takuya-oji persisted, combing over his hair in the mirror. He peered back at me with his navy eyes, a dark brow raised. "You said you weren't feeling well, and it's for an entire weekend that I'll be gone. I can postpone the meeting until next week if you really want me to stay here with you."

I kept my sighs to myself as I brushed dust particles from the back of his coat. "I'm not going to die, Takuya-oji," I murmured, playfully rolling my eyes. I wonder how much of that statement could actually be true. "I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself." As he lifted his arms to adjust his hat, I gazed up at him in the mirror. "Your end-of-the-year meetings are your most important ones, aren't they? You can't just postpone them because your niece has a little cold. Now go on—you'll find me in one piece when you get back."

He turned around to look me over, skepticism in his eyes. Idly, his large hands and warm fingers brushed over my face—or, more particularly, the area under my eyes. "Have you been getting enough sleep?" he asked, concern tightening his young features. "Is this 'little cold' keeping you awake at night, too?"

Luckily I didn't flinch at his words and offered a weak grin as I pushed his hand away. "I'll take a nap today. I finished all my homework for next week so I'm free for the rest of the day. Promise!" I couldn't let him loiter around any longer or I was going to burst. "You're going to be late, Takuya-oji. You should get going!" I prompted, pushing him towards the front door. I handed him his suitcase and hat. "I promise I'll be okay. Now get out of here!"

"Geez, want the house all to yourself that badly, huh?" he huffed, adjusting his hat. "You behave, all right? I don't want to come home to discover that the house has been burned down. I don't mind a few friends over, but no big parties. You know how much I hate those under my roof…"

"Your dislike of wild activities is something I've inherited," I assured him, shoving him out the door. "Bye! Love you! Come back safely!"

Before he could respond, or make another mention, I slammed the door and held it for a few minutes. When I heard the footsteps disappear and the car rumble to a start, pull out, and drive away, I slumped against the door with a large sigh. "About time," I murmured, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I wasn't expecting him to notice my lack of sleep. Was it that obvious?

With a grunt I stood to my feet, running a hand through my tangled mess of hair, and trudged into the living room. "You're good now, Toushirou."

Not to my surprise, I saw the embodiment of beauty himself lounging on the couch, engulfed in the morning paper. Of course he would've known that already—Takuya-oji's reiatsu was far enough away. Takuya-oji had a weird talent of being able to sense when different people are in the vicinity, and I wanted to get him out of the house before he noticed Toushirou. Not that Toushirou would've let himself be noticed anyway, but if he asked anything, I just couldn't lie to him; and if Takuya-oji found out that the white gangster was hanging around his house, especially since he wasn't necessarily fond of him, for whatever reason I couldn't fathom…

Well, I really don't want to think about what would happen. I doubt even Hyourinmaru would be able to hold back an angry Takuya-oji.

"Reading anything interesting?" I asked, plopping next to him and leaning to read with him. My eyes barely made it past the title of the article before I queried, "Thanksgiving? I didn't know you were a Thanksgiving sort of guy." I forgot that this was Thanksgiving weekend.

Toushirou slapped the article shut and tossed it back onto the table. "Thanksgiving is essentially a feast. You make a lot of food, eat it all, and manage to sleep soundly because of a full stomach," he explained, turning to me with narrowed eyes. "You haven't been sleeping. Even your uncle noticed that you haven't been sleeping. How long are you going to keep exhausting yourself?"

"Don't exaggerate," I mumbled, holding back a yawn. "I'm not exhausting myself. I've just… not been getting as much sleep as I usually do."

"How many hours do you sleep in a night?"

I looked away from his piercing gaze. "Enough to operate on," I replied, standing up and striding towards the kitchen. "Do you want anything to eat? Cereal? Eggs? Bacon?" I asked as I yanked open the refrigerator door. "I stocked up this week on lots of food."

"Nagasuki," Toushirou sighed. His tone sounded like a father scolding his child. "How many times have we been over this?"

"Enough to let you know that your efforts are futile," I replied, burying my head in the refrigerator. "Oh, we still have that watermelon. Yum…"

"Nagasuki," Toushirou said, his voice now calm and quiet. "You can't mourn forever."

I thought for sure the watermelon would shut him up.

My eyes lowered as I shut the fridge. "… I know."

Two weeks had passed since that incident—the day in the forest that I'll never forget for the rest of my life. With my best friend gone, life seemed that much duller. I didn't hear her perky voice every day, I didn't see her shining face when I got back from school, I didn't see her waiting for me on the porch whenever I got back from a trip. She wasn't there anymore, and she never would be. It was a hard, difficult fact to register, but it was true, and I was going to have to accept it sooner or later. It seemed that the latter would be the choice for me. It was harder than I thought getting over her death, but at the same time, I wouldn't be happy with myself if I got over it that quickly.

But what I began to realize is that as I became more withdrawn, more depressed, more to myself than usual, I was affecting those around me as well. Takuya-oji became more wary around me, wondering if I had a recent breakup with a boyfriend that he wasn't aware of. The fact that the existence of Nagasuki Metsuki was obliterated from his memory didn't help me in my healing state, either. Toushirou became crankier and more protective around me, which I appreciate; but he was growing to be more like a father to me every day than a regular bodyguard. Rangiku and Momo used to visit me often, making sure that I was doing all right. Because of my inactivity and whatnot, however, they stopped. I haven't seen either of them in days.

I wouldn't feel so bad about sulking for two weeks if I knew I wasn't hurting my friends. Now I've just created another burden for them to carry. I am so selfish.

"… It's hard," I continued, leaning against the counter. "At night, I'm afraid I'll fall asleep and dream about her. When I'm around other people, I feel like I'm robbing her of the time I spend thinking about her—as if she should be at the top of my thoughts. I can't stop thinking about her without feeling that I'm abandoning her…" I threw my head back, sighing. "What do I do?"

Toushirou remained perched on the same spot on the couch as he was before, not even looking like he was listening to me. I began to think that he had ignored my ranting before he finally said, "Have a day off," he said.

"Huh?"

"Get out of the house. Hang out with your friends. Have a day all to yourself and see what that does to you. Don't even think about your sister," Toushirou repeated.

I raised a brow. "Were you even listening to me?"

"You'll see what I mean," he insisted, standing up. "Go outside and get some fresh air and have some time to yourself."

"But Toushirou—" I murmured.

"No buts," he snapped, authorizing his order with his stare. "You'll enjoy yourself. Trust me."

Hah. Trust him. That was like telling me to breathe. "What am I doing? Trying to look stupid as I wander in search of distractions?"

Toushirou scoffed, crossing his arms. "You don't need help in that area."

My eyes narrowed. "I'm sulking and you insult me. I hate you."

"You gave me the initiative, I took it," he shrugged. "I say you head to the park first. I'd go with you, but I have work to do. I am a captain, you know."

I gave him a dry smile. "Really. You were more like a father to me than anything else these past couple weeks," I shook my head. "Thanks, Toushirou. It's nice to know you care."

He gazed at me for a second before slowly looking off to the side, looking like he accomplished something. "I honestly thought you were going to hurt yourself if my attention was diverted for just a second."

"In my state of mind, anything was possible."

He gave a smug smirk. "Get out of here already."

I mock saluted him and began heading towards the stairs. "Thanks again, Toushirou."

"Nagasuki."

I stopped in the middle of my stairs. "Yeah?"

I looked back to catch him casting a sly glance in the direction of the kitchen. "Don't be alarmed if you come back to find your watermelon missing."

* * *

If there was one thing I discovered about Toushirou today, it was that he stunk at ideas.

Here I was, standing like an idiot in the middle of the Karakura park, working towards frostbite on my nose. Today was _cold._ And the wind wasn't helping me warm up at all. The breeze mixed with the moisture in the air, converting the humidity so that instead of feeling hot and sticky, it felt like there were literally little icicles clinging to my skin. I pulled my coat tighter around me and was about to strangle myself with my scarf. This was absolute torture. What was that idiot thinking, sending me out here?

"I hate you, Hitsugaya Toushirou," I seethed through chattering teeth. I don't know why I kept standing there, expecting something to happen. The park was barren of children and adults alike. It wasn't snowing yet—it rarely snows here anyway—and the trees were mercilessly stripped of their leaves. I hate cold weather. This was the worst. I should just head back home—but why didn't I?

The answer was there, I knew. I just haven't discovered it yet.

I sighed, turning to wander back into the main area of the town. "The next time I see that punk I'm going to—"

"Look out!"

"Huh?"

BONK.

* * *

"Ugh…"

I was first aware that I had been unconscious when I opened my eyes to find that everything was blurry. The second thing I had come to be aware of was the fact that my head was throbbing very obnoxiously. The third thing I came to realize was that there were a group of people screaming in the background…

"Karin! Do you have any idea how deadly your kicks are?! You're lucky she's not dead!"

"I didn't think there was anyone there! It wasn't like I was aiming for her!"

"Nii-chan! She's waking up!"

My blurred vision was immediately clogged with a blurry face that I couldn't recognize. "Megumi? Are you okay?"

I blinked once, twice, trying to recover the vision in my eyes. The face was a stranger in my state, but the voice was not. "Ichigo?" I groggily inquired. "Oh, my _head…_"

I heard a door fly open in the background and rapid footsteps approaching. "How is my patient?" an older voice asked.

"She's still here," Ichigo said.

The higher-pitched tone piped. "Can I get you anything, Megumi-chan? Water? Tea? Lemonade?"

I groaned.

"Um. Try some ice," said the other deeper tone. "Gosh, I didn't think I kicked it _that _hard."

"Still, her recovery is remarkable." I felt a shadow over my face. "She's only been out for a few minutes, even after one of Karin's most devastating kicks. I remember back when_ I _was the unlucky victim…"

"You both were in the wrong places at the wrong time!" Karin grumbled. "Who goes out for a stroll in the park in thirty degree weather?!"

"You're asking _me?_" I groaned. With some effort I sat up, although very slowly, while holding my head to make sure it wouldn't roll off to the side. "Where am I?" I asked.

"My house," Ichigo replied. He sounded tired. "You were hit by one of Karin's murderous kicks. Are you okay?"

I attempted a nod. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Just give me an hour or two…"

"What were you doing out in the park anyway?"Karin asked, crossing her arms. I think she was debating whether she should apologize or not.

I didn't need an apology. I just needed my mind to start working again. I couldn't remember what happened at the moment, but the first phrase that came out of my mouth was: "I'm going to _kill _Toushirou."

Ichigo stared at me, as did Karin. The other sister—Yuzu, I think her name was?—looked lost, as did her father. "Toushirou?" Ichigo repeated, and an amused grin spread on his face. "What did he do this time?"

"Toushirou? The guy who played soccer with me?" Karin asked at the same time, wide-eyed. "You know him?"

I massaged my temples. "He gave me a stupid idea. Take a walk in the park… Yeah, and why not get a concussion while you're at it? Geez, Toushirou," I mumbled, still out of mind. "Gosh, you kick _hard_." I looked over to Karin.

She looked me over for a moment. "… Sorry," she finally murmured, her short black hair bobbing as she turned away. Apparently she was convinced that I really was suffering. "I honestly didn't see you there. I thought it would be good practice time and I didn't think anyone would be there…"

"It's fine," I forced a grin.

"Here you go, Megumi-chan!" Yuzu came trotting back into the room with a glass of water in her hand. "Are you feeling better?"

"Sixty-eight percent," I sheepishly replied as I took the cup. "Thanks… Yuzu, right?"

The adorable brunette grinned at me and nodded.

"So you're the niece of Nagasuki Takuya, right?" the older man asked, rubbing the stubble on his strong chin. "I remember you—Takuya was so proud when he brought you home that one morning. You were so tiny then…"

I flushed involuntarily and looked down. "Um. Yeah. Nice seeing you again, Kurosaki-san…"

"Don't embarrass her, Dad," Ichigo chided, rolling his eyes. "I think she's okay now, so you guys can get out of here."

"Why do we have to leave?" Karin grumbled. She must be in a bad mood.

"Well, considering it's my room," Ichigo replied, "and I don't think she enjoys certain kids glaring at her, it would be best for her to rest up alone."

Karin glared at me, and I simply blinked at her, unsure of how I should respond. "Fine," she said, grabbing Yuzu's arm as she flew from the room. Their father grinned sheepishly at me and followed them out, quietly shutting the door behind him.

I looked at Ichigo. "Is she mad at me?"

"Don't mind her," Ichigo said, stretching in his chair. It was then I realized that I was sitting on a comfy, warm bed next to an open window. I must be on his bed. Ichigo gazed at the door for a few seconds as if to make sure that no one would be coming in. Finally, after a few seconds, he said, "Come on out, Rukia."

Before I could blink, his closet door slid open and out flew a vaguely familiar figure with bobbing black hair and beautiful purple eyes. "About time," she grumbled, copying Ichigo as she stretched. "I was trying so hard to not say anything."

I stared at her for a total of two minutes, totally speechless. She was dressed in a cute purple dress that matched her eyes—it looked home-made—and behind her I could see a mattress that fit nice and cozily into the closet. Finally I lifted an accusing finger to point at her and locked my gaze back on Ichigo. "Don't tell me she lives in there." Ichigo shrugged and Rukia dusted herself off. I shook my head and threw up my hands. "You Shinigami drive me crazy."

"Honestly, I'm amazed that you _haven't_ gone crazy after all you've gone through," Rukia commented, plopping herself onto the foot of my bed. "How are you feeling?"

"My migraine is going away," I replied, rubbing my head. Holy cow, she kicks like a horse on steroids. "But Karin knows Toushirou? How?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I guess he was the trump card to her soccer match several months ago."

I blinked. "Toushirou plays sports?" Toushirou playing soccer, and actually being good at it… Hmm. I guess he wasn't just beauty incarnate. He was perfection itself. "Imagine that…" I murmured. "But why does she not like me?"

"Beats me."

"Probably because you know him," Rukia suggested. She cast a sly glance to Ichigo, a smirk on her thin face. "I told you your sister liked Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Whatever," Ichigo huffed.

Oh. Well, in that case, I won't like her either.

I felt Rukia's hand on my blanketed foot. "Really, though. How are you feeling?" The penetrating look in her eyes told me she was looking for more than physical feeling.

Immediately I tensed. She noticed. "I'll… be okay eventually," I murmured, gazing out the window. It looked nicer outside now, but I bet it was still freezing cold. "These things take time."

"Where's Toushirou anyway? He's usually with you, isn't he?" Ichigo queried, seeming to follow my gaze out the window.

I shrugged. "He said he had some work to do. He sent me to the park to get out of my hermit state, and I was lucky enough to get knocked unconscious."

I saw Rukia nudge Ichigo out of the corner of my eyes. "Well, since you're here, let's have some fun!" Rukia exclaimed, yanking me with her as she leaped off the bed. "Just you and me, Megumi. Let's go shopping!"

My eyes bulged. Was she serious? "What?!"

"Rukia, you idiot! She's still healing!" Ichigo shouted at the same time.

"You have things to do too, don't you? Homework to do, errands to run, appointments to keep," Rukia listed, sticking her tongue out at him. "We don't want to bore Megumi to death!"

"Actually, I really should be getting home," I fought, trying hard to keep my balance as she pulled me off the bed. "I have to clean the house and get some lunch—"

"Oh, that can wait until later," Rukia grinned, grabbing her purse from the closet. It was a cute little thing that consisted of a long string and a bunny pouch. She looped it over her shoulder. "We won't be long!"

I looked at Ichigo helplessly. I really didn't feel like shopping right now. "Help?"

He shrugged. "She'll follow you home if she has to."

I sighed and held out my hand.

"Fine, let's go."

* * *

"Gosh, Rukia, how much more can you spend?!" I exclaimed as we trudged out of the store, loaded with bags of various assortments. "What is this stuff, anyway? Food, plates, cups, streamers… Are you planning a party or something?"

Rukia was strong for something so tiny. She was carrying twice as many bags as I was. "Nope," she grinned.

"How can you carry so much stuff?" I whimpered, dropping all ten bags as we waited at the crosswalk. I grabbed onto the light pole for balance.

"I'm in a gigai right now," she started, purples eyes scanning the area. "Gigai don't feel exhaustion and aren't really restricted by anything such as weight. I can probably lift a car with no problem."

"Holy crud," I murmured. "You Shinigami are something else…"

"You'll be able to do that once you become a Shinigami," she mused, skipping along the crosswalk. "You _are_ becoming a Shinigami after you die, right?"

The last time I mentioned to Toushirou that I might become a Shinigami after death, he got mad at me. Since then, I haven't thought about the subject once. "Um… maybe?"

"Unimaginable strength, super speed, a free sword, demon arts," Rukia listed the benefits, and suddenly a sly smile crossed her face. She peeked up at me from the corner of her eyes. "… An eternity with Hitsugaya-taichou."

Immediately I blushed an embarrassing bright red, and even managed to utter a small yelp as I stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk. Rukia laughed at me as I regained my composure, and I tried to even my breathing which had somehow managed to grow heavier. "I really haven't thought that far ahead yet…"

"You like him that much, huh?" Rukia murmured, her grin frozen on her face. Despite the smile, though, there was a distant look in her eyes.

I could read the message in her eyes almost too easily. "Yes, I know it's illegal," I sighed, looking away from her. With the transition of afternoon to evening I felt a chill creep up my spine. Rukia had me shopping for almost five hours. "I didn't mean to. I honestly didn't. It just… He's just so hard _not _to like."

"You're not the only one, you know," Rukia smiled. "I work in Ukitake Jyuushirou-taichou's division. Ukitake-taichou loves Hitsugaya-taichou, mostly because their hair color is the same."

I blinked. "His hair's white, too?"

"Yes," Rukia nodded. "But anyway, although Hitsugaya-taichou doesn't know it, he has a _big _fan club in Ukitake-taichou's division. Girls adore him."

"No surprise there," I rolled my eyes, sighing.

"I've met a lot of girls who really love him, but I like you more than I like them," Rukia continued. "That is, I think you click with him much more than any of those girls ever could."

I found myself blushing again. "Huh?"

"I've never seen him care so much about anyone, much less a human, like he cares about you," she responded.

I huffed. "He's just doing his job."

It was Rukia's turn to scoff. "If you saw his face when he saw you in the forest that day…" she trailed, "And how gentle and careful he was with you afterwards, from another Shinigami's perspective, you would definitely know that he thinks much more about you than he thinks about anyone."

I barely flinched when she mentioned the day in the forest, but I quickly replaced the memories with thoughts of Toushirou. If I saw his face? If I notice the way he treats me? There was an emotion that confused me from the inside—fear? "E-Even if he did, things would never work."

"Legally, it wouldn't," Rukia said. "But you never know."

I hardly heard her. Why was I afraid? Why was there feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach? It was uncomfortable, almost nauseating, filling my insides…

"Look, here we are!"

Instantly I was snapped back to reality. There in front of me stood… "My house?" I blinked. Feelings of the confusing dread and fear escaped me. "What are we doing here?" And why were the lights on?

"Come on, let's go!"Rukia exclaimed, bounding towards the door.

"Rukia, wait!" I cried, following after her. I was starting to panic. Did someone break into my house? "Don't go in there!"

She totally disregarded me however as she kicked open the door and waltzed right on in towards her doom. "Rukia! Rukia!" I shouted, all in vain.

I went as fast as I could with the additional thirty pounds in my hands. She's a Shinigami; if there was a Hollow or even maybe a Bounto in there, she could take care of herself, right? "Rukia?" I murmured, pushing open the door.

What jumped at me blew me away.

"_Happy Thanksgiving!_"

I screamed and nearly fell back on my rear, if it weren't for a body that had suddenly appeared behind me, acting as my post.

I looked up to see Ichigo grinning sheepishly inside. "Sorry I'm late, guys."

I scrambled onto my feet, dropping my bags and holding onto Ichigo for support. "What the heck is going on?" I murmured, finally focusing on what had sneaked into my house.

What I saw stunned me speechless.

Streamers waving with the air conditioning, confetti dancing from the ceiling, and a large banner hanging over the arch that lead into the kitchen that read "Happy Thanksgiving!" decorated the house. I was too dumbfounded to realize that I was being pulled manually through my own home. "We've been waiting for you, Megumi-chan," Rangiku excitedly said. "Now we can finally start eating!"

"Wh-What?" I stuttered. "What are you guys doing in my house?"

"What does it look like?" Momo grinned from my other side, as peppy as the orange-haired woman. "We're all having Thanksgiving dinner together!"

"I… but…" I was suddenly aware of the delicious aroma that wafted across the room. Baked turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy—I could smell all of it. Seated at the table (tables, I should say, as there were definitely more people than our little four-seating dining table could handle) were familiar faces, all involved in excited chit-chat and laughter. Kisuke and his crew, Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Hanatarou, Rangiku, Momo, and even Yoruichi lounged around a table lined with mashed potatoes, gravy, ham, cornbread, baked vegetables, and you named it—it was all there.

But what were they doing here?

"I hope this is good," Rangiku mentioned, plopping into her chair. "I'm starved!"

"I'm so glad we get to spend Thanksgiving together!" Orihime exclaimed between laughs from a joke Kisuke just told.

And then it hit me.

We were having Thanksgiving together. Them and me… My friends and me.

With the growing realizing I felt my eyes begin to tear up. It was a surprise dinner. Rukia stole me for the majority of the day so they could decorate my house and set up this fabulous dinner.

"Guys…" I murmured. "Thank you _so_ much. Going through all the trouble…"

Rukia turned to me, her violet eyes shimmering with knowing. "Don't thank _us_, Megumi," she said, winking. "We haven't done anything."

Before I could ask what she meant, Rangiku yelled, "Taichou! Is the food done yet?!"

"Shut up and be patient, you glutton!"

At the familiar tone I spun around… and nearly melted into the ground.

Toushirou sauntered from the kitchen, his properly protected hands carrying a giant silver platter with the biggest, juiciest turkey I had ever seen in my life. I heard the group at the table cheer as he plopped it in the middle of the table. "That monster took hours to cook," he muttered bitterly, wiping his hands on his apron, which used to be white. He noticed me out of the corner of his eyes and walked over to me. "I used your apron. I hope you don't mind," he said, eying me carefully.

"Toushirou…" I trailed. "What is this?"

He looked honestly offended. "Isn't it obvious?" he huffed, crossing his arms.

"Did you plan this?" I asked.

Rangiku answered before he could open in his mouth. "Momo and I did the decorations, but taichou manned the kitchen! He's been working on the food and inviting people for the whole afternoon!"

"Not the _whole_ afternoon," he murmured, turning away with a tinge of embarrassment. "… I just thought a big dinner with friends would help, is all."

"Would… help?" I repeated, dazed.

"_If you saw his face when he saw you in the forest that day…" she trailed, "And how gentle and careful he was with you afterwards, from another Shinigami's perspective, you would definitely know that he thinks much more about you than he thinks about anyone."_

I gasped. Kicking me out of the house, having Rukia keep me for five hours… Toushirou planned this… to help me feel better?

"You went through all this trouble?" I gasped. "Just for me?"

"I—hey, what are you crying for?!" Toushirou said, eyes widening. "… I made some chicken in case you didn't like turkey…"

I shook my head. "No, that's not it, you retard!" I shouted, tears now streaming down my face.

"What's wrong then?!"

My heart hurt. Was it possible to love someone too much?

I cried and leaped onto him. "Why are you so good to me, you jerk?!"

"What the heck—I'm dirty, you idiot! Get off me!" Toushirou shouted, his hands grabbing my shoulders in a futile attempt to push me back. "Eat your food!"

"I hate you!" I sobbed, clinging to him for dear life. I felt like if I separated from him, I would mentally break down all over again. "You're not helping my situation at all!"

I realized why I had been afraid while talking to Rukia about him a while ago. I knew that I would have to force myself to stop feeling this way towards Toushirou for our individual sakes. It was illegal, unheard of, an abomination—there was no logical way that we could ever be together.

But I love him. There was no way I could stop loving him now. It was imbedded in me—Toushirou would permanently have a throne in my heart, for as long as I existed.

"What?!" Toushirou snapped. Apparently he related that exclamation of mine to his dinner. "This is Thanksgiving! Be grateful!"

I forced a laugh between my sobs. It was chorused by the audience that was seated at the table. He had given up trying to push me away and simply stood there while I clung to his torso. "I wasn't talking about dinner," I whispered, my face in his chest. I never wanted to leave him—ever. "Thank you so much, Toushirou."

He huffed again. "You're welcome. Now release me so I can take a shower."

"You're not going anywhere," I grinned, grabbing his hand and yanking him towards the table. "You're eating with us!"

"Hey!" he shouted awkwardly, trying to pull away. "Let go!"

"I didn't know you could cook, Toushirou! Let's see how capable you are!" I teased.

"Now we can finally eat!" Ichigo cheered, grabbing a fork and knife.

The rest of the night passed quickly—all too quickly—with laughter, food, fun and games, and more laughter. It was the best night I'd ever had in my life, and I would never forget it for the rest of my days.

Oh, and Toushirou had become my favorite chef.

"Bye, everyone! Thank you so much again!" I called, waving my arm as the crew exited my house. It was almost midnight. "I had a great time!"

Everyone tossed waves over their shoulders and shouted goodbye as they ran off back to their houses. Shinigami and super humans—I had the best group of friends in the world. Toushirou loitered around while the rest disappeared, looking devastatingly beautiful as he leaned against the doorframe. He was clean now, after he took a few bites of his cooking and stealing the shower for thirty minutes. "You're a fabulous cook, Toushirou," I commented, smiling at him.

"I learned from my grandmother," he mused. "She's better than I am."

I laughed. "I have to meet her sometime."

"Hm," he murmured, and shifted to glance at me. There was something on my face that made his gaze freeze, and after a few seconds he looked away again, looking smug. "You look happy."

"I'm ecstatic," I agreed. "Thank you, Toushirou." I felt some pressure from my heart, challenging me to do something. It made me gulp.

"It wasn't just me," he said, standing up straight.

Oh, but it was.

"I should get back. I'll come back in an hour or so to check on you," he informed me, rolling his neck.

"Okay," I nodded, the nervous grin still plastered on my face. "Good night."

"Get some sleep, okay?" His teal eyes turned to me again, narrowed. "I don't want to come back to find that my food didn't make you sleep."

"I'll be knocked out," I grinned. "That's why I'm telling you good night now."

He looked satisfied with that. "All right. See you in the morning, in that case."

He turned to flash step away, but the challenge in my heart caused me to grab his wrist. "Um," was all I could murmur as my face pulsed red.

"What?"

His head branched to glance at me, and I stood on my toes to plant my lips briefly on his cheek. I felt his hand tense and his face warm up as I pulled away, and I stared at the ground for a minute or so before looking up at him again. "Um… That's an I-owe-you for the dinner…" I lamely said.

Toushirou's gaze was frozen on something I couldn't see. "… Good night, Nagasuki," he whispered, almost too quietly that I couldn't hear, and finally disappeared.

I closed the door, wondering what I had just done, and quickly got ready for bed. I was surprised to find that I haven't thought about Metsuki for almost an entire day, a world record for me. It made me feel calmer, happier than I have ever been before. I bet that was what I was waiting for in the park, freezing my rear end off. I was waiting for that feeling of relief.

I slept while counting not sheep, but the innumerable blessings that I would never be able to deserve. Family, friends, life…

… and Toushirou.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

* * *

**A/N:** Oh my goodness. That was roughly 5,600 words for you all right there. That's about 1,600 more words than I usually put I in a chapter, haha. I guess this would be an "I'm sorry for the wait" and "Happy late Thanksgiving!" chapter. No real addition or subtraction for the plot, but a good development on Megumi's condition and, of course, Toushirou and Megumi fluff! I hope you all enjoyed it. I bet Toushirou can cook… he just hasn't been given the opportunity to show his great skill in the area!

Thank you guys so much for the support, and for the reviews I received even during the wait. You guys are amazing!

Stay tuned for the next chapter, where things will start twisting! Send in those reviews for a quicker update--and I promise it will be quick! ;)

Peace out,  
bayo-bayo!


	34. The Winter Dance

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

You guys are absolutely and utterly amazing. 48 reviews in three days—only you guys are capable of such feats. Thank you so much! I've come to reward your faithfulness with an even longer chapter! We're talking about 6500 words here, folks. :) Just for you guys, because I love you!

I really love being home, you know. There's no feeling like being gone for a whole semester in college and then coming back home for a five-week vacation of nothing but laziness and writing for you guys! I'm thinking that I'm going to be finishing this story sometime in the summer… but who knows? Knowing me, it has a high possibility of dragging out longer.

Enough chit-chat! It's time for the chapter that was bound to be written—The Winter Dance! Enjoy!

PS: I've heard that Japan does some sort of Thanksgiving-esque celebration!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – F O U R :**  
_"The Winter Dance"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

"What?! What do you mean you haven't been practicing?! The dance is tomorrow, Megumi-chan! _Tomorrow!_"

I was too busy trying to finish the rest of my language homework to answer her comprehensively. "Yeah, I know… I'll get working on it right when I get back home, I promise," I murmured, tapping on my paper. There was a sentence I was supposed to correct, but there was nothing wrong with it as far as I could see… Ugh. I hate language. "Yukita, do you see anything wrong with this sentence?" I asked, shoving the workbook towards her.

"Nagasuki Megumi!" she reprimanded, slamming her hand down on the table. "The most important event of the year is tomorrow night, and you have the most important role! We can't have a party without music!" Yukita's dark eyes narrowed at me as she briefly glanced at the page of my book, and she snorted and pointed at the punctuation of one word. "That's supposed to be _it's_ instead of _its_, because _it's _would be translated as _it is_ and in that context, that's wrong."

I blinked. "Oh, thanks." I quickly made the correction.

"But that can wait until later!" Yukita said, slamming the table again. I glanced up at her with narrowed eyes. "The dance should be on the top of your priorities, missy!"

I stared at her for an additional five long seconds before closing my book and politely folding my hands over it. "I'm sorry for putting schoolwork above tomorrow's dance—that was stupid of me. I'm all ears, Yukita," I said, my eyes still narrowed.

"That's more like it," Yukita nodded in satisfaction, obviously not catching the poisonous sarcasm in my tone. "Have you picked out what songs you'll be playing?"

I nodded. "Beethoven. The main song is going to be his 'Moonlight Sonata.'" I don't even know why she bothered asking, since she didn't have a clue about what the classicals are. She didn't even know who Mozart was when I first mentioned him last year.

"Sounds good," Yukita crossed her arms. "I've got the decorations taken care of, so all you'll need to do is practice and to be early to the party. Oh yeah, and wear something formal."

I groaned. "Formal? I can't just wear my uniform?"

"Eww, of course not!" She vehemently replied. "You're wearing something dressy! No uniforms or two-pieces—a real prom dress!"

"Yukita," I griped. "I don't _have_ anything formal, nor do I have money to buy a formal. I don't go to parties! I'm not dancing or anything—I'm just playing the piano! I shouldn't have to be formal!"

"Don't be difficult, Megu-chan," Yukita plopped her fists on her hips. The bell for class to start rang. "The masquerade was your idea, remember? You don't have to wear a mask or anything, which is already a plus for you. Just come in something dressy and you won't look stupid!" she added as she flitted back to her seat.

I sighed in defeat and fell over my desk, murmuring complaints to myself.

* * *

"Hmm. I forgot about that," Toushirou mused as I vented to him during lunch. Today was one of the rare occasions that he decided to grace Karakura Junior High with his presence, and naturally every girl in the school greeted him with open arms. I had to hold myself back from throttling the seemingly endless amount of girls that had boldly tried to ask him to the Winter Dance throughout the day. "You humans celebrate using the strangest methods…" he added, staring at the turkey sandwich of a lunch that had been left over from the Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. "A masquerade? Whose stupid idea was that?"

I choked on my sandwich. Toushirou raised a brow, momentarily amused. "Oh. Well, that was a stupid idea, Nagasuki. The last time I saw a masquerade party was a long time ago, and I've been around for a while…"

"Oh hush, you old fart," I retorted, sticking my tongue. "I still need to practice… ugh, I haven't even touched the piano in two weeks! _And_ I don't have a formal!"

"Just skip it," Toushirou suggested, shrugging. Typical Toushirou.

"I can't! I promised I'd be there," I sighed, putting my lunch down. "Are you going?"

He gave me a disgusted look. "You wouldn't find me dead at a dance—a masquerade party, much less," he replied. "But in this case, I may have to."

"Really? Why?"

"One thing I've noticed about Daijiro is that he's a classy kind of person, so he may like masquerades, especially if you're going to be at them," he said. "So he might show up tomorrow as a guest or something. I'll be patrolling, but I won't be going with anyone."

"Break every girl's heart, why don't you?" I dramatically sighed. "You're such a lady killer, Hitsugaya Toushirou."

He simply shrugged. "I can barely manage Matsumoto or Hinamori. I don't need any more distractions."

"Hmph. Then what am I to you? Some medium?" I asked, chomping on my sandwich.

Toushirou scoffed. "Are you going with anyone?"

"I guess I could," I murmured. "But being the piano player, I doubt I'd be anything of entertainment. No one's asked, anyway, and I doubt anyone would." I paused. "Well, Hikaru might, but that's about it."

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Hikaru and Riana both decided to come back to school. Now that they've officially parted from Yasuo's twisted henchmen, they've started coming back out into the open. Neither of them was here today since they just re-enrolled yesterday, but they'll be here and at the party tomorrow. Yukita was psyched about their return. Toushirou was a little skeptical about them when I told him about the resistance that he, Riana, and Mimi composed, but seeing that they've done little to violate any of the rules, he's become a little more laid back when it came to discussions about them. When Hikaru, individually, was brought up, however, he always seemed to get in a grouchy mood for whatever reason…

"Minamoto?" Toushirou scoffed. Here we go again. "I honestly don't know what you see in him."

"Hey, he's not that bad," I fought. "He's actually really sweet."

"Around you, maybe," he said. "I don't like him."

"I kind of assumed that."

"He doesn't like me either," he added. "For some idiotic reason that I can't comprehend, he thinks he's better than I am."

"And you think Matsumoto and Hinamori are hard to handle," I rolled my eyes. "You're like elementary rivals."

"I could care less about him, but if he wants to think of me as a rival…" He paused to look at me, and a thoughtful look came over him. "Well, I can't let him one-up me."

I blinked. "What are you talking about?"

All of a sudden, he looked smug. "Minamoto won't ask you to the dance."

"Okay. Um… why?" I didn't like that look…

Toushirou hinted at a smug smirk. "Because you're going with me."

Plop. There went my sandwich. "What?!"

"Yeah, he won't be very pleased about that." He looked as if he had accomplished something.

"I refuse to be used to coax your stupid rivalry!" I said, offended. I tried to ignore the fact that I may as well be backing out of the only date Toushirou would probably ever take me on.

"You said no one had asked you yet, and if we're both going and without a date, well, logically it shouldn't be a problem," Toushirou shrugged. His eyes shifted to me after a second and he added, "That is, unless you don't want to go with me."

One word caught my attention, completely segregating it from the rest of the thoughts flying through my mind. "Are you asking me on a date?"

Toushirou paused to think. "Call it what you want," he said, shrugging. "We're just going together—nothing unusual about that. You said you wouldn't be available anyway if you went with anyone, so it really wouldn't be a proper date anyway."

I pouted slightly, disappointed. "You didn't even ask me properly."

"I'm not getting on my knee," Toushirou bitterly said. "Matsumoto kicked it this morning."

"You get on your knee for proposals, dear, not for asking girls to dances," I raised a brow. "But what did you do?"

"I hate bamboo," he said. "It's her favorite, so this morning she 'cooked' it for breakfast."

I bit back a smirk. "So you opened your big, unsubtle mouth and received punishment."

"I almost demoted her."

"Well, if you're going to use me to stoke the fire, I'd like to be asked first," I snorted. "Or maybe I'll just ask Hikaru himself to go with me." Toushirou glared at me, and I shrugged. "It's fair, don't you think?"

"You're so annoying…"

"You're going to allow your pride to give Hikaru the upper hand? I guess I gave you too much credit…" Oh, I was asking for it now.

"Nagasuki…"

"Hmm. Hikaru and Riana should be home after school… Maybe I should pay them a visit?"

He grabbed my arm. "Nagasuki," he said, capturing my gaze. "Go with me to the stupid dance."

The intensity of his teal eyes were overwhelming, scorching me to my melting point. They made me speechless and completely emptied me of any coherent thought. "Uh… sure…" I hate it when he did that!

"Good," he said, and released me. I quietly gasped for breath, and I could feel my wrist tingling where he had touched it. "That, and I don't want you going to their house. Despite what you say about their resistance, I'm not comfortable with you being around them as of now."

"What?" I exclaimed. "I can't talk to them?!"

"Not alone with them, no," he said.

"You don't have any right to—"

"As your date for tomorrow, I don't want you anywhere near Minamoto's house."

I growled. "Fine." Though, I did like the sound of him being my date for tomorrow…

The bell signifying the end of lunch rang, and Toushirou stood and dusted off his pants. "I'll see you later tonight. If you need a dress, just steal one of Matsumoto or Hinamori's—they have too many," he said, beginning to walk off. "Oh, and tell your friend that I refuse to wear a ridiculous mask."

* * *

Smoothly, melodically, softly, emotionally…

"This won't work!" I shouted in exasperation, slamming the keys. An inharmonious racket clattered in the house, bouncing off the walls and echoing. "Why can't I make them sound right?"

Three hours. For _three hours_ I had been working on this stupid piece, but I couldn't make it sound how it was supposed to sound. I was turning the Moonlight Sonata into a Moonlight Slaughter. "I can't play like this," I murmured, fingering through my book of Beethoven collections. Maybe I just needed a break—stop trying to get that piece right and work on other ones I'll be playing throughout the night. "It's a dance, so… how about Fur Elise?" It was another one of my favorites.

I played through that once and cringed. "That sounded horrible. I sound like I don't even know what decent music is!"

"Geez, Megumi-chan, you're terribly out of practice."

I jumped, my hands involuntarily slamming on the keys again out of reflex. Upon spinning around, I saw Minamoto Hikaru sprawled along the couch, disapproval in his expression. "You're putting absolutely no emotion into it at all. Stop forcing yourself to make it sound good."

"H-H-Hikaru!" I stuttered, holding my heart to my chest. "Don't _do_ that! I almost had a heart attack! When and how did you get in here?!"

"You really need to learn to close your windows," he mused, sitting upright. "Who knows what kind of creatures may come crawling through it one of these days?"

Oh, my window. I guess Toushirou was right about them… "You should know better than to break into houses," I sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"Just dropped by to say hi," he grinned. "We haven't seen you in so long, so Riana and I thought we'd pay a visit."

"Riana's here too?"

Right on cue, the athletic beauty herself waltzed from the kitchen, a smile on her face. "Hello, Megumi-chan."

"Riana!" I exclaimed, flying onto her. She caught me effortlessly and we both laughed. "How are you guys?"

"She almost has a heart attack when I say something and Riana gets a tackle when she says hi," Hikaru rolled his eyes.

I pulled Riana to the couch and sat with her. My thoughts were instantly pulled back to lunch with Toushirou. He didn't want me anywhere near the Minamoto's… house. But if they were in _my_ house, then technically I wasn't being a bad date, right? If he got mad at me, I could just say that I was never near their house! He couldn't argue with that. And I couldn't just shoo them out of my house.

"Where's Mimi?" I asked.

"Back at the house," Hikaru replied. "She's still… recuperating."

I caught on to his words quicker than I thought and instantaneously my eyes lowered. "… Right."

"But anyway, how are you, Megumi-chan?" Riana asked perkily. "How's everyone back at school? How's Yukita-chan?"

I laughed. "Yukita's the same as always. She threw a fit when I told her I haven't been practicing the pieces for tomorrow's dance."

"Ah, the Winter Dance," Riana repeated, her onyx eyes sparkling. "Those are fun."

"Yeah," I said. "The theme's going to be a masquerade party this year. I'll be playing Beethoven's pieces."

"Attempting to, anyway," Hikaru scoffed. "Did you hear her, Riana? She's totally out of it. You could do better than that, Megumi."

"Oh hush," I snapped. "I'm just a little under-practiced. I'll be ready by tomorrow."

"Are you going with anyone?" Riana asked, a knowing smile stretching across her face.

"I'd take you, but Riana's forcing me to go with her," Hikaru shrugged. "Sorry for the disappointment."

"I'm going with Toushirou," I said, grinning brightly. I watched the Bounto's expression take a serious nose-dive. I guess the contention was mutual.

"That punk," Hikaru glowered. "I underestimated him."

I glanced at him. "What's with you two?"

"I don't like him," he replied.

"I kind of assumed that," I quoted from my lunch conversation.

"He doesn't like me either," he continued. I almost mouthed the next part, "For some idiotic reason that I can't comprehend, he thinks he's better than I am."

I started a fit of laughs. "Oh my word. You guys are too much…" They were much more alike than they knew, but if I pointed that out, I had a feeling that they wouldn't be very happy with me.

"I'm obviously the better guy, Megumi-chan," he insisted. "But for some reason, you dig guys with unnaturally bleached hair…"

"And you're saying your hair _isn't_ unnatural?"

He ruffled his blood red hair. "Mine actually looks good on me."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please."

"Hikaru, grow up," Riana added. "Anyway, Megumi-chan, we did come to see how you were doing, but that wasn't all."

I immediately noted the change in tones between her sentences. There was a slightly serious look on her face. When I looked at Hikaru, he exhibited the same. I eyed them both for a minute or two before asking, "What's up?"

"Remember the House of Horrors?" Hikaru asked. At my groan, he nodded. "Yeah, looks like some of it's coming back to bite."

I massaged my temples. I felt a migraine coming on. "What are you talking about?"

"Your midget wiped out nearly all of our Hollows, which is good," he replied, rummaging a hand through his bright hair, "But not all of them are gone."

"And since they've been under our control and were nurtured by us, when Yasuo set them free afterwards, they're much stronger and have more access to their brain than most Hollows are capable of accessing," Riana added. "Two of our Hollows merged and became one giant, monster of a Hollow. Its strength is impressive, too."

I blinked, and a feeling of dread came over me. "And…?"

"Well," Hikaru took the stage again, looking uneasy. "It's… kind of out to get you."

The blood drained from my face. "Oh. I see."

"Oh, please don't faint!" Riana said, patting my shoulder. "Hikaru and I will be there, and so will Hitsugaya-kun, won't he?"

"Why is it out to get me?!" I panicked.

"It's…" Hikaru sighed. "It's Gina."

The name froze me.

"… Gina?" I murmured, my eyes wide. "She's not in Soul Society?" The last time I saw her was when she was transforming into a Hollow. I thought by now she'd gotten reaped into Soul Society… "She's still here?! And merged? With who?!"

"… Her mother," Riana quietly replied. "She was the Hollow she found in the mansion. They merged after Gina turned into a Hollow."

My breaths were suddenly very shallow. "… And they're coming out to get _me_?"

"Well, we tried chasing them down the other night," Hikaru said, rubbing the back of his neck. "She was screaming your name as she ran away from us, so I'm assuming it would be you she's after—unless she knows another Nagasuki Megumi."

"Joy of all joys," I breathed, slumping against the couch. "Life has been peaceful for all of two weeks… too long for me, I suppose."

Riana giggled nervously and held my shoulder. "Don't worry, Megumi-chan. You have us; you'll be fine."

I smiled up at her and then looked back to the ground. Gina and Juria—they merged as one and are now trying to chase me down for whatever reason. But what would they want with me? Did I do something to upset them? Was it because I ran away when Gina was mutating?

"Hey." Hikaru flicked my forehead, bringing me back to life. "Stop worrying. Nothing will touch you tomorrow."

I rubbed my head. "That's what you think."

Riana sighed. "Megumi-chan—"

"No," I shook my head, holding my head in my hands. "Yukita's going to kill me herself if I don't get these songs down!"

Riana blinked and Hikaru laughed his head off.

* * *

"Megumi-chan, you're going to look absolutely stunning tonight!" Rangiku exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"I can't believe I agreed to this," I murmured, staring in horror at the last glimpse of myself that I would see for the rest of the night.

"I'm so excited!" Momo exclaimed, looking through the vast amounts of equipment she and Rangiku towed over to my room. It lay in an unorganized mess on what was supposed to be my bed. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Rangiku twirled a lock of my hair around her finger, her expression thoughtful. "This will need straightening and curling," she murmured with a comb between her lips. "But your hair is already so pretty when it's natural, Megumi-chan. I would leave it, but you see it every day…"

"Curl it. Her hair is really thick, so curls would be wonderful on her—a nice change, too," Momo commented. I saw her pick up something bright from the bed. "And with her pale skin and the blue-gray color of her hair, a yellow dress would be best!"

I gagged. "I hate yellow!" I protested. "It looks horrible on me! I wear it enough every day with my stupid uniform! Don't make me wear it!"

"Oh, don't be a baby, Megumi-chan," Rangiku chastised. "Hinamori's right. Yellow would look great! Let's toss it on before I do your hair and make-up."

"Make-up, too?!"

"It's a fancy party, Megumi-chan! Of course you're getting make-up!" Momo chirped.

I groaned.

"Geez, you sound like we're putting you in a gas chamber or something," Rangiku pouted as she pulled me off my chair and towards the dress.

"Might as well," I sighed. "I won't be able to breathe in that thing anyway. What size is it? A negative two?"

"Oh, hush," Momo said. "It's my dress. You should fit fine in it, assuming we're the same size and build."

I stared at it ruefully, my eyes narrowed and my brow suspiciously raised. "It's pretty, I'll give it that."

It was just a classy, simple yellow halter dress that tied around the neck, fit around the waist, and flowed neatly to the ground like a bellflower. I always had a love for simple clothing. "But aren't you going to the dance too, Momo?" I asked, my eyes glued to the dress.

"Nope," she sighed. "I have to go back to Soul Society tonight to deliver a report for Hitsugaya-kun."

"Taichou already knows what he's wearing," Rangiku proudly announced. "I chose the clothes myself."

She probably forced him into it.

But imagining Toushirou in a suit…

I caught myself blushing at the image. Darn it! "Just hurry on with it—I still need to practice."

"Will do!" Momo grinned as she began stripping me. "Hitsugaya-kun will never look at you the same way again once we're through!"

I groaned again.

* * *

"Guys, I feel like a Barbie doll," I admitted.

"Except you're much prettier," Momo said, "And you're real!"

"That's not it," I said, the panic slowly building as we neared the school. "I don't think Toushirou likes Barbies."

Rangiku laughed. "Oh, he will once he looks at you."

I pouted. For some reason, I felt like this was going to be a very bad night. Rangiku and Momo had spent a total of four hours dressing me up just for a stupid school get-together, and they were disappointed when they "ran out of time." They had all the time in the world, and I _still_ didn't have enough time to practice. Yukita was going to slaughter me if these heels weren't going to first.

But I had to admit, I guess I looked… better than usual.

The dress fit, which was a miracle in itself. I still don't take fondly to the yellow, but I didn't necessarily have the best eye when it came to color coordination. My hair was probably the most stressful thing of all since it took three hours to fix up. Rangiku curled every single strand and clipped it up into a high and very thick ponytail, heavy and bouncing with hair spray. They cut my hair (too my horror, especially when she did it _after_ I said no) so that there were longer layers and I had bangs now, which she straightened and swept off to the side. They didn't pour on as much make-up as I expected, but they did apply eye shadow, mascara, and lip gloss.

So, in essence, I felt kind of like a geisha Barbie doll.

"Hitsugaya-kun should be waiting near the steps," Momo excitedly said. "I can't wait to see his face when he sees you!"

"Guys—" I started. "Even if I did look… prettier, I doubt Toushirou would notice. I mean, he just doesn't notice physical appearances."

"Megumi-chan, Megumi-chan," Rangiku sighed. "Taichou is a boy, and like all other boys, he'll notice beauty when it slaps him in the face. You just have to know _how_ you can get him to notice anything other than character."

I rolled my eyes.

And there he was, in his unnatural beauty.

He had been leaning against one of the light posts leading to the front doors. He noticed us and began walking over. I grabbed Rangiku's arm. "Oh my goodness."

She smirked. "You can thank me later."

What he was wearing wasn't anything drastically different that the other guys in the vicinity, but he was dazzling.

Donned in a jet black tuxedo, white vest, white collar shirt, and, to my surprise, a yellow tie, he was the epitome of loveliness. Forget Toushirou in a suit—Toushirou in a _tuxedo_. I found myself staring at him quite blatantly, until Momo harshly nudged my rib cage. "Hi, Toushirou!" I squeaked. Momo rolled her eyes.

"About time," Toushirou sighed, pulling uncomfortably at his collar. Poor guy was suffering, but they do say that beauty is painful… "How long does it take for someone to get dressed?"

"You don't want to know," I whispered, hopping (as best as I could in heels) to his side. "Bye Rangiku, Momo! Thank you!"

Rangiku winked at me. "Have fun!"

"Bye, you two!" Momo added.

"Behave," Toushirou pleaded. The girls grinned and scuttled away, murmuring to themselves. He directed his teal eyes to me after a few seconds. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Right," I murmured, following him into the building. What I saw in the gymnasium was impressive.

Streamers, millions of balloons, dim lights, a reflection of navy blue along the walls, candle lights, a darkened platform and dance floor, hand-made snowflakes dangling in every shape and size from the ceiling—Yukita really went all-out tonight. "Wow," I breathed.

"Your friend outdid herself," Toushirou commented.

"Definitely a masquerade," I agreed.

"Still a stupid idea."

"Oh, shut up."

"I'll be patrolling around," Toushirou said. "If Takara manages to sneak in, in one way or another I'll get to her." I had called him last night to tell him what Hikaru and Riana told me—indirectly, anyway. It was more or less another reason for him to be here. Only he didn't know that it was me, in particular, that Gina was out to get for whatever reason. "You stay with the piano. If you need me… well, I guess all you could do is yell."

"Gee, thanks," I huffed.

And just like that, he strolled away. I watched him with a frown. Was it just me, or was he in a bad mood? He hardly looked at me at all when he talked. Maybe I wasn't the only one who hated yellow. Maybe I was right—Toushirou just didn't notice how anyone looked. As I wandered to the piano area, I just couldn't help but feel disappointed. It was nice that he wasn't shallow or anything, but couldn't he just give me a compliment or something? Or at least give me a _comment_ about how I looked? Rangiku and Momo didn't spend four hours on me to have Toushirou not notice anything. And then there was my pride—even I thought I looked a little nicer tonight than usual, and he didn't even say anything. Oh well… I guess I gave myself too much credit.

As I neared the piano, dread washed over me.

The grand piano was in a secluded, although noticeable edge on the platform… and had probably the biggest circle of light around it. Oh, joy. "Darn it, Yukita," I murmured as I scooted onto the seat. If playing, at all, wasn't nerve-wracking enough, she put the spotlight on me so that everyone knew who was playing the crappy music. I sighed, flicked my wrist, and treaded my fingers across the keys, starting with a gentler piece to initiate the party. I had memorized all the songs I would be playing so I wouldn't have to worry about misplacing my book.

As I played, I tried to look into the darker parts of the room to find Toushirou. I expected his white hair to glow in the darkness, but it wasn't there. Where could he be?

I must have been distracted, or spacing out, for a long time—because as soon as my focus on reality returned, there were a lot of people here, swaying to the music with their dates on the dance floor. Well, at least I wasn't out there—I couldn't dance to save my life. Actually, I'd probably kill myself _and_ my date, especially in these heels.

"Loosen up, Megumi-chan—you're too tense."

My arms flexed for a split second, but I quickly regained my composure and managed to avoid a mistake when I recognized the voice. "Hikaru," I breathed.

He stood behind me, and I could feel his eyes watching my tense fingers. "You're too mechanical. I thought you said you'd have this down by tonight?"

"Well, I tend to get nervous and make mistakes when people are so intently watching my every move and commenting on my every flaw," I snapped.

"Hmm. Good point," Hikaru grinned.

I was about to stop to turn and talk to him, when all of a sudden I saw his arms come around me and his hands and fingers replacing mine on the piano. "Hey—stop! What are you doing?!" I exclaimed, and he manually scooted me off the side of the bench as he continued what I had been playing.

"I'll take over while you take time to relax," he replied, grinning at me. He was dressed in a white tuxedo, which brought out the unique color of his hair and his bright blue eyes. He looked very nice. "Go grab your date and dance or something. I don't know _what_ he's thinking, leaving something like you alone like that."

I blinked. "Huh?"

Hikaru winked. "You look beautiful tonight, Megumi."

"Oh," I murmured. I felt uncharacteristic heat rise to my cheeks. "Th-Thanks. You look handsome tonight, too."

He smiled and turned back to the piano, playing the piece like he owned it. "Go have fun, Megumi-chan. We're all watching."

"Thank you," I murmured as I carefully stepped off the platform. Ugh, these heels were killing me. "Where did he go…?" I asked myself, gazing around for a familiar tuft of white hair. I thought I'd be able to see better now that I was off the platform, but even then, I couldn't recognize him anywhere among the crowd. Knowing him, he was either outside or roaming around the borders of the building, watching for any suspicious reiatsu. But what about me?

"You're horrible, Toushirou," I sighed, plopping into a two-seater round table and leaning over it. "I think I would've had more fun staying with the piano like he told me to," I told myself, twirling a curly, stiff strand of hair around my finger. I probably reeked of hairspray. Rangiku and Momo used almost two full cans on me.

I sat there, staring off into the distance and into the dance floor, where couples swayed to Hikaru's version of the Moonlight Sonata. I couldn't dance at all, but I was a little jealous of the girls being twirled around by their dates. It wasn't just a dance that most of them were doing—they were waltzing. I doubt Toushirou knew how to waltz, knowing him, and even if he did know how, he probably wouldn't try to teach me. I held my chin in my palm and sighed again. "I hate parties…"

"I thought I told you to stay on the piano?"

I turned to see a glass of punch being handed to me. "Toushirou," I murmured, taking the glass.

"Are you all right?" he asked, seating himself on the other side of me. He placed both elbows on the table and entwined his fingers, his eyes searching mine. "You look like you're about to cry."

Did I look that bad? "I'm not a big party person," I admitted, staring into my punch.

Toushirou stared at me for a moment and stood up again. "Come on," he said, dusting his coat. "I want to show you something I found while walking around."

I looked up at him. "Okay," I murmured. Well, it was something to do, I guess. Looking at evidence of a Hollow lurking the premises was better than sitting around being bored out of my mind.

Toushirou seemed to notice my trouble with walking in heels and slowed his pace. He led me to the back to the front door and into the courtyard, where the grass was swaying with the chilly breeze. "What are we doing here?" I asked when he stopped.

He looked around for a brief second, and then glanced at me. "Promise you won't scream?"

I blinked. He must've found something gruesome. "Uh… yeah."

And then he did something unexpected.

He walked over to me, grabbed my arm, and yanked me towards him—and suddenly, we were flying. I yelped and clung to his torso as he leaped high into the air for just two seconds before landing on the roof of the school, where he released me onto shaky legs. "Oh my goodness," I murmured, swaying slightly. I hung onto his arm for a second or two to regain my composure. "Why up here?"

When I looked up at him, he was staring upwards. I followed his gaze quietly, and gasped.

The night sky was phenomenal.

Blinking with millions of stars and visible white hazes, the grandeur and the magnificence of the universe was revealed by clear moonlight. The air was still, the scope was quiet; there was nothing but us and the heavens. I found myself gaping at the sight.

"This was the best spot I could find to look at the sky," he murmured.

"Oh… wow." I gasped. "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Besides Toushirou, of course. Oh my goodness, I was obsessed.

Toushirou scoffed and glanced at me. "Then you haven't been getting around much. I've seen prettier."

I returned his gaze with a smile, and blinked when he didn't look away like he usually did. Before I knew it, I was blushing and I had to break my gaze. "U-Um. Did you find any Hollows or Bounto?"

"Neither. I don't even sense their reiatsu, besides your friends," he replied.

"Then we're safe?"

"For tonight, yes. It was a false alarm," he shrugged.

I sighed in relief. "You know, I was kind of jealous of the people back at the party."

"Why?"

"I wish I could waltz," I whined, finally taking off my heels. The cold night air chilled me as soon as my feet touched the frigid ground, and I shivered. "I wish I took lessons, but Takuya-oji feared for my safety."

"I would, too," he said almost mockingly as he pulled off his coat jacket to hand to me. "I was beginning to wonder why you haven't frozen over yet."

I laughed and gratefully accepted the covering. "I tried to tough it out. The sky distracted me from the weather."

I couldn't help but notice that his clothing under the jacket looked perfect on him, fitting on his form very nicely. I needed to thank Rangiku, definitely. "Anyway," he said, pulling me out of my staring session. "The waltz isn't that complicated."

I blinked. "You can waltz?"

"Hinamori," Toushirou rolled his eyes. "She made me learn when I was younger."

"You learned how to cook _and _how to dance? Impressive," I teased.

He stared at the sky for a little longer and, without turning to me this time, he asked, "Do you want to learn?"

I gaped at him. "What?"

"It's not hard," he continued, plugging his hands into his pockets and glancing at me again. The intensity of his eyes under the moonlight was overwhelming. "I think even you could pick it up pretty quickly."

"Gee, thanks," I rolled my eyes. My head suddenly was beginning to feel very light, and it was growing harder to breathe. I think it was because Toushirou offered to dance with me. Even if it was just a dance lesson, I felt like screaming and jumping around like the idiot I am. "Up here?"

"Why not?" he replied. "We can still hear the music from below, and there's no one else up here."

"Good point." I was still trying to regulate my breathing. "What first?"

Toushirou rolled his eyes as he approached me. In all of about five minute he taught me where my hands went and what the rhythm of the dance was, all of which was pretty easy to understand, thanks to the piano. It was the footwork that was hard to get down, especially when Toushirou's hand was on my hip and he was holding my hand in his other one. This was too perfect for even a dream to hold. Despite the doubts I had in myself, he had me twirling around with him on the rooftop after three more minutes, talking to me to keep me from thinking about where my feet went.

"Nagasuki, I don't have a disease," Toushirou said. "You need to come closer or you'll trip us both."

"S-Sorry," I murmured, barely managing to get the word out. My face was redder than a cherry and it was almost impossible to breathe as it was, but I moved in closer. Toushirou locked his arm around my back to keep me from moving back again. "I'm surprised that not only can you dance, but you're good at it," I murmured.

"You're actually catching on fast," he commented.

"Amazing," I grinned. I looked up at him and he caught my gaze, holding it for what seemed like forever. "Were you mad earlier? Like, when you first saw me?"

Toushirou furrowed his brows. "No. Why?"

"You barely looked at me," I murmured.

"Oh." He looked to the side for a split second, and looked at me again. "Well, I didn't really know how to react."

His wording confused me. "What?"

"I'm… not used to seeing you like this," he replied, shrugging. "It's different."

I frowned. "I look that bad? I knew yellow was the wrong color…"

He made a noise that almost sounded like a laugh. "No, you idiot," he said. "Hinamori and Matsumoto actually did a good job."

I stared at him for a while until he felt uncomfortable. He turned away with a small hint of embarrassment. I think that was the most he was going to tell me compliment-wise, but that was enough to make me happy for the rest of the night. "You look very nice tonight, too," I shyly said. I would've used the adjective 'perfect,' but I wasn't that brave.

He gave the tiniest of smiles and we continued our waltz in silence.

If I thought it couldn't get any better than the surprise Thanksgiving dinner, boy was I wrong.

"Ow! That was my foot!"

"Aww, crud! I was doing so well, too… Well, at least I didn't have my heels on…"

"How much do you weigh, a thousand pounds?!"

"No—what?! Take that back, you jerk!"

"Stop kicking me, you elephant!"

"I'm going to do more than bruise you!"

"I don't doubt it, with those feet! You'll flatten me!"

"Oh, _shut up_!"

Yes, the best night I've ever had.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, I realize that I might have made Toushirou a bit OOC in this chapter. But I've come to find out that the deeper their relationship becomes—the relationship between Toushirou and Megumi, that is—the more different actions Toushirou would be taking, including the words and phrasing he uses and the change in his way of thinking when he's around Megumi. And vice versa. It's an undefined line that I'm treading, and I'm trying hard to keep Toushirou as much in character as I possibly can (but no one knows how he'd act when things are like this, correct?), but in order for the story to progress, well… Some things have to change. And I'm not saying I'll make Toushirou totally OOC or whatever, definitely not! I'm just warning you that if Toushirou does seem more OOC in the future, cast all the hate on me. I'm simply writing in a way that I, personally, believe Toushirou would act. And we may or may not have different opinions, but you know what I mean.

So, in essence… **Please don't hate me!**

But not only will I be trying to keep Toushirou in character, but Megumi, as well—even more so. Mary-Sueism will evade her like the plague (if you guys think otherwise in the future, please flame me), and she's a lot easier to keep in character because she's my character.

Anyway. Now that I've gotten all that off my chest. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I could totally imagine Momo forcing young Toushirou to learn how to dance, with a supporting grandmother. Cuteness!

Oh yeah, remember what I said about the target number of chapters for this story being 40? Well… obviously that won't work, knowing the crazy spur of the moment ideas I come up with in the course of writing. So rough estimate that I know think that Furareta will carry, chapter-wise, will be about 60, give or take a few chapters. Yes, that's a long story. And I don't feel a bit intimidated! It's because of you guys that I can continue this story knowing that some people will read and review. You guys are amazing—this story wouldn't have made it through the second chapter without your guys' positive remarks and encouraging reviews to keep updating! This story is totally for your guys' enjoyment.

And you know what? I might even write my own original story and get it published someday.

But of course, that's in the distant future. ;3

Now that I'm home, I can take up the practice of including all of my reviewers in my author's notes! So special, special thanks to:

**xxSHiNJiRU, Indigoia, RyuseiStreamGirl, ayaicHang.014, Seengot, Eryn Goddess of Chaos, Normal-looking freak, xxlemon, aminea88, joster13, D R A G O N L I L I E S, TideDrop, pinkatallmon, -lazy llama-, iheart , Mine Luriya, Cindy (Melodicxstar), AmY-DylaN-SOHia-aNiki, Nettie-, Paralysistracks, ai-bleach, Kosa Kinoshita, SunsetRainbow, hyourin-kusabana, Sorii, lill' goddess, Hikari6007, viettvnt, fanny-kun, I'm a Reader, Verbal Argument, halpa-chan, Restless Fanfiction Addict, dokuki, 13Lulu's, haku fan1, , Random Word Writer, PennyArcadeFan2, KurokamiHaruhi, arianemavi94, Ohmysunblock, The Elemental Alchemist Reyna, Sakiru Yume, Mika25, Minako, tribute27, jazzmin92, THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

This Saturday is Toushirou's birthday and Furareta's one year anniversary! So expect a chapter then! (I might as well tell you the update now!)

Peace out, my lovelies!  
- bayo - bayo


	35. Let It Snow

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

**HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, FURARETA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOUSHIROU! (AND ANYONE ELSE WHOSE BIRTHDAY FALLS ON DECEMBER 20****TH****!) **

Boy, we've come a long way, haven't we? It's so hard to believe that Furareta is already a year old. I remember last year today I posted the first chapter, thinking that no one would like or review the story because it contained an OC and a canonxOC pairing (and with Hitsugaya Toushirou, of all canons!). But alas, I thought wrong! Never did I imagine that a year later I would be posting an anniversary 35th chapter and have over 1300 reviews! It's all thanks to you guys. I know I've said this before (and I know I've said that before, too), but you guys are the life blood of Furareta. Without your never-ending support and encouragement, Furareta wouldn't have lived this long. You guys are seriously the best readers that any author can have—I'm so lucky to have you all!

Hopefully together we can finally finish this story! We've made it this far—so please stick with me until the end and I'll gladly participate vice versa! I really love you all!

And now we finally delve into the 35th chapter of Furareta, written in Hitsugaya's POV in honor of his birthday! Some shocking things happen and whatnot, all to spice up the story in its climax! So grab a blanket and some hot cocoa, because this is where things get tricky!

PS: This is a longer chapter too! I'm on a roll, baby!  
PS #2: In honor of Toushirou's birthday, I got myself a cell phone charm of him! Yes, I am obsessed, and yes again, I LOVE the charm. I have my own little Shiro-chan now! (heart)

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – F I V E :**  
_"Let It Snow"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

_I was walking, meandering through a clearing that was blanketed under snow. Snowflakes rained from the sky, dancing in the cold breeze and clinging to the tree trunks briefly before condensing into moisture. Despite the howl of the wind and scratching of leaf-against-leaf, all was silent—and I was alone, lost in the mass of white._

_There was laughter—faint at first, but gradually growing, gradually elevating into something soft, melodic…_

_Singing._

_I could see something—someone—dancing in the distance, twirling beneath the shower of snow, singing at the top of their lungs._

_It was an angel._

"Hitsugaya-kun! Hitsugaya-kun! Wake up!"

I was stirred from my sleep by means of obnoxious jostling. Upon prying open one groggy eye, I found large cocoa eyes staring back at me, along with a bright, cheesy grin. I grunted and tried to intensify a nasty glare. "Get out of my face or I will hurt you," I warned, shutting my eye again.

Of course, she didn't listen to me.

"C'mon, Hitsugaya-kun! This is no way for a captain of a Shinigami division to act! You don't sleep in!" Hinamori chided. I heard her step back and sigh. "Usually you're up way before me! Even Rangiku-san is up! Hitsugaya-kun! Are you listening to me?"

"I wasn't kidding, Hinamori," I seethed. "Get out of here or I will _not_ be happy."

She huffed. "What else is new?" she challenged. "Why are you so grumpy?"

"Oh, I don't know," I murmured, sarcasm dripping from my tone, "It might be because someone decided to rob me of valuable and well-needed sleep."

"Oh, Hitsugaya-kun…" Hinamori whined. She plopped onto the foot of my bed, which had been the couch for the past couple weeks. "But it's your special day!"

It took me a moment to comprehend what she was talking about. When it finally hit, it hit hard. I groaned and rolled over, 'accidentally' kicking Hinamori off the couch. She squealed and she fell to the ground with a satisfying thump. "Ow! Hitsugaya-kun!" Hinamori moaned. I heard her stomp her feet as she climbed off the ground. "That was uncalled for!"

I ignored her and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to forget what she just said. I was tired, grumpy, and I didn't need to be reminded what today was. I could've gone through today without remembering it, and I would have been fine. Last night I had taken a tour all around Karakura, making sure that nothing was amiss and ridding alleys and streets of wandering Hollows. Out of all the Hollows, though, I didn't find Takara. I didn't know if she was hiding or what, but she knew how to disguise herself well _and_ hide her reiatsu. I had been out all night and didn't return to my temporary home until dawn began breaking over the mountains.

And I didn't want to wake up until the afternoon, but unfortunately someone had to answer the urge to rouse me…

"Hitsugaya-kun!"

I ignored her.

"_Hitsugaya Toushirou!_"

I still didn't respond. When was she going to give up already?

"That's _it_!"

I felt hands grab my blanket. Before I could respond in any form, I was unraveled from it and I found myself flying onto the ground in the same manner Hinamori had just a minute ago—only in a less graceful manner. My head hit the ground first before my body did, receiving most of the impact. I didn't say anything for the first second or two as I tried not to shout anything inappropriate or absolutely throttle the girl, but I did manage to sit up and produce the iciest glare that a grumpy ice-element captain could muster. She didn't back down.

"I'm up," I spat.

"Happy birthday," she snapped back, and she stomped away.

"I swear I am going to kill her one day," I murmured. I stood up, folded my blanket, and tossed it on the edge of the couch.

As I wandered into the kitchen to grab a cup of water, I winced as the sunlight streamed through the window, warming my chilled face. It looked a little warmer outside today, to my surprise. It was cold last night, even for me. "Hinamori!" I shouted as I turned on the kitchen faucet. "Where's Matsumoto?" I didn't sense her reiatsu in the house or anywhere near.

"Soul Society," I heard her call back, apparently still mad at me. "She decided to get up earlier for you since it was your birthday and went to pick up assignments from Yamamoto-soutaichou for you."

I cupped a handful of water and splashed it onto my face, waking me up. "When did she leave?"

"Around five."

I glanced at the clock. It read eight o'clock. That meant I received a total of three hours of sleep. "Darn it, Hinamori…"

"What was that?"

I bit my tongue to keep from snapping. "Nothing," I muttered. "I hope you had a good reason for yanking me out of bed."

She came strolling into the kitchen, a purse in hand. "I just didn't want you to waste the day away with sleep on your birthday."

I turned to glare at her, almost incredulously—or, more specifically, at her purse and clothes. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going…" She perked up suddenly and a big smile stretched across her face. "… to take you on a shopping spree!"

I stared at her blankly. "No, really," I pressed. "Where are you going?"

Hinamori giggled and ran to the mirror to fix her hair. "Hurry and get into your gigai, Hitsugaya-kun! We've got no time to spare!"

* * *

"Hinamori, _please _don't do this," I pleaded as the girl literally hauled me through the streets of Karakura. "Just give me a bed and I'll be happy for the rest of the day."

"Don't be a party-pooper, Hitsugaya-kun," Hinamori said, her grip on my arm unwaveringly strong. "It's your birthday! You honestly can't expect to be happy lounging around and being a lazy bum! That's Rangiku's job!"

"I can and I do," I snapped as she pulled me into a clothing store. "Do I look like I'd choose shopping over sleep? You've known me for how long? You know I hate these kind of… activities!"

"Hey, you'd better be grateful," Hinamori said as she grabbed a shirt from the rack and held it up to my torso. She inspected it for a while as I stood there with narrowed eyes. She compared the arms and the width before shoving it back onto the rack. "Some people would love a shopping spree on their birthday! Free stuff!"

"I'm not one of those people," I argued. I knew it was futile—why did I even bother?

"Here we go," she declared, holding up the same shirt she had grabbed before. "This one's smaller. You really need to grow, Hitsugaya-kun—you can't stay a runt forever!"

"Oh, shut your mouth," I retorted. "I can't believe you woke me up to go _shopping_ at eight-thirty in the morning when I could be curled up on the couch _sleeping_—"

"Be a good sport!" Hinamori said, pouting. "Rangiku and I are trying so hard to please you on your birthday and you're being a grump about it!"

"You're trying too hard," I mumbled. I glanced at her as she went through the rack of clothes again, a frown on her face. Was she about to cry? I rolled my eyes, biting back a sigh as I grabbed the shirt she had picked out for me. I tried not to glare as she stared questioningly at me. "I'll try it on," I said, not giving her a second glance as I walked towards the dressing room—or, where I assumed it to be.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

I didn't hear her following and turned back to her, my brow lifted. "Why are you just standing there? I want criticism. Let's go."

Hinamori stared at me for another second before her cheerful grin returned. "Hold on," she said, and discreetly flash-stepped all around the store. In about ten seconds, she was back with a pair of pants, a belt, a pair of shoes, a scarf, and gloves. "Okay, let's go!"

* * *

**( NAGASUKI MEGUMI )**

"Okay… Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Kisuke, Tessai, Ururu, Jinta, Yoruichi… Did I get everyone?" I asked, fingering my list a second time. "Yes, I did. What about you?" I turned to my companion, who was eying her list very carefully as well.

"Ikkaku, Yumichika, Hanatarou, Renji… I think that was everyone I got from Seireitei," Rangiku replied. "And I think that completes our attendance list!"

"Great," I checked, pocketing the paper. Upon doing that, I brandished another whole list. "Now for supplies. We've got to get plates, forks, cups, drinks, a cake, a few tables, a CD player… and of course, gifts!"

"This is so fun!" Rangiku cheered. "I love surprise parties. Do you think taichou suspects anything?"

I thought for a moment. "I hope not. I think Hinamori's doing a good job of distracting him from anything I may be doing. If all is going according to schedule, they should be having lunch soon."

Rangiku laughed. "You've got this all planned out, haven't you?"

"Oh yeah," I said, grinning. "I've been planning this for the last week! It's gonna be perfect!"

Rangiku smiled a sly smile. "Have you thought about a present yet amongst all this planning?"

I glanced up at her with a shy grin. "I already have it."

"Really? What is it?"

"You'll see." It was something that wasn't exactly expensive, but I put all of my heart into it. "Let's just focus on supplies for now!" Rangiku stared at me, mystified, but didn't pursue. I think she knew I wasn't going to tell her anyway. That reaction satisfied me. "Where's Toushirou now?"

"Um…" Rangiku thought for a moment. "He's on the west side of town."

"Then we're going shopping in the east," I replied, grinning.

"Megumi-chan," Rangiku said as we started walking towards our next destination. "How much do you like taichou?"

The question caught me off guard, and despite the cold weather, I grew warm. "Um… enough to go through all the trouble to plan a party for him," I replied, wrapping my arms around myself. When I looked up at her, she was staring in the distance, her eyes somewhat narrowed and thoughtful. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Megumi-chan…" she said again. "Listen."

Uh-oh.

We paused at a bench on the sidewalk and she made me sit down with her. The serious tone in her voice alerted me. "What?" I pressed. That solemn look didn't suit her at all. I knew that something had been bothering her ever since I asked her to help me with this party a couple days ago. She'd been less loud, less energetic, less enthusiastic, and I had a feeling that she knew that I knew something was up. Apparently she was about to spill the beans, and by the sound of it, I had something to do with her problem.

"You know I love you," Rangiku said after a second. She took my cold hand into her warm lap. "You're like a sister to me now."

The words touched me, but I was sure not to be too sentimental. "Yeah, I know. You're the big sister I've always wanted, Rangiku."

She smiled. "Thanks. Before I start… I just want to remind you that I'm only saying this to look out for you. You don't have to take this to heart or anything, but I just wanted to warn you before anything happens—if anything does happen—and if it does, then I could rest knowing that I've done my part."

I could sense bad news hanging in her tone. "I understand. What's bothering you?"

Rangiku held her breath and let it out very slowly. "You like taichou," she stated.

Puzzled, I nodded.

"You know that a Shinigami-human relationship is forbidden in the spiritual realm," she continued. She was playing with my fingers as she searched for the right words to say. "If emotions get out of hand and decisions and standards become warped, the results will be messy… maybe even permanent."

So this was it. I should've known I'd get the talk from her sooner or later. "I know."

"… Be careful, Megumi-chan," she pleaded softly. Her eyes were piercing, boring into mine. "You're not a Shinigami. You haven't seen the things I've seen, you haven't experienced the things I or others have experienced. It'll be hard for you to understand, but something as unheard of or as unnatural as this is not welcomed by Yamamoto-soutaichou or by parties even higher than him."

I listened on silently, wondering what she was getting at.

"If your emotions for him continue to build, more than likely… you'll be hurt," Rangiku said, continuing to hold my gaze. "No matter how strong your feelings may be or how powerful your resolve is, chances of getting out of this in one stable state of mind is very little."

Ah, I see now.

"So you're saying that I should stop liking him," I whispered. The words almost impossible to say, and they slipped right off my tongue and erased from my memory.

The expression in her eyes was unsure. "Yes."

"I… have thought about it on occasion," I started, looking away. "About not liking him, that is."

She was quiet, listening to me.

"But then I realized that… I know that this is selfish and a little proud of me, but…" I paused to gaze at her. "I like him too much to give him up. I have no physical strength whatsoever, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep him—to keep you guys. He has become too big a part of my life to just stop. It's impossible. I can't, Rangiku. Besides, if anyone gets hurt, it'll just be me."

She held back a sigh. "You may be wrong, Megumi-chan," Rangiku replied. "Taichou knows the line he's treading, and he's guarding his steps… but as stable-minded as he is, and as high as his standards are, he may be rethinking some things, maybe even subconsciously."

There she was, talking in riddles again. "I'll take full responsibility," I firmly said. "I can't turn back, Rangiku. Not when I've come so far."

She sighed and gave my hand a little squeeze. "Well, at least I can say I tried."

"I know you did," I replied, wrapping my arms around her. "Thank you."

She held me for a second or two before gently pushing me back. "One more thing." Her hands fell on my shoulders, forcing me to look into her eyes. "I care about you, but if anything does happen… I'm going to be faithful to my captain."

I smiled and patted her hand. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

We both grinned and Rangiku jumped off the bench, exhaling loudly. "Well, now that that's finally off my chest, let's continue our mission! Hinamori-chan can't keep him entertained forever!" she exclaimed, causing the passing crowds to look and stare.

The Rangiku I knew was back.

"Taichou won't know what hit him!"

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

"Hinamori, we've been out for the whole morning," I said. According to the clock tower, it was about to ring two o'clock. "I appreciate that you want me to enjoy my birthday, but I can't just abandon my duties. I need to go back."

Hinamori was skipping ahead, seemingly ignoring me. I sighed, about to repeat myself, before she unexpectedly spun around to face me with a bright grin. I nearly ran into her. "I understand, Hitsugaya-kun," she replied. "Let's have lunch before we go back though. I'm starving!"

I glanced at the tower again and held back a protest. It was always hard to argue against Hinamori. "Fine, but let's make it quick." I was kind of hungry anyway.

"That can be arranged!" Hinamori cheered just as we approached a restaurant. "Let's grab a bite here!"

I hovered before the doors, reading over the signs. There was an Italian restaurant in Karakura. Why have I not seen this before? I blinked. "Sure."

The hostess inside led us to our table. After our orders were taken (I decided on pasta, although I don't really know what it is), I sighed and shoved our ten bags of junk to the side. I don't know why she took me shopping, considering that I wouldn't be using any of the things we bought when we got back to Soul Society. Whatever pleased her, I suppose. "Matsumoto's back." I could feel her reiatsu. It wasn't nearby—why was she in the east…?

Hinamori was stirring the iced tea the waitress had brought for us. "Um, yeah. She probably got distracted by shops and stuff and probably wanted to pick some things up for you, too…"

"Hm." Why was I so anxious right now? "I need to check on Nagasuki." Oh yes, that was why. I haven't seen her all day, and that was making me jumpy. Usually I saw her in the morning and at noon. That stupid girl has become a habit to me.

Hinamori continued to stare at her drink. "You've been seeing her a lot lately," she commented, sipping on her straw.

"You know her. Leave her alone longer than you should and she gets into life-threatening situations," I scoffed. I eyed her suspiciously for a moment. Suddenly quiet, suddenly avoiding eye contact—something was bothering her. "What's wrong?"

"Hm?" She glanced across the table at me. She looked like I just snapped her out of a trance. "Oh, uh, nothing."

I sighed. "You're a terrible liar, Hinamori."

The girl nervously tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You caught me," she admitted. "… Do you want the truth?"

I scoffed. "Well, I don't want a lie."

"You always make me sound stupid."

"You always ask stupid questions."

She giggled lightly before her expression became solemn once more. The look didn't suit her—I didn't like it. She took a few seconds staring at her drink again before looking back at me with utter determination in her eyes. "I love you."

My jaw clenched. That caught me off guard. It took me a moment to find words to respond with. "That's what's wrong?"

Her chocolate eyes were focused hard on me. "Do you love me?"

The question stung me. Why was she asking me this now? "… You're my best friend," I answered.

She stared at me for a second, scrutinizing my face, before finally letting her gaze drop. "I know."

"You're not telling me what's wrong."

"Shiro-chan." The pet name slipped, seemingly without her knowing it. "You're my little brother and my best friend. I love you." She paused and stared at her cup again. "That's why… I want to put my word in, for your sake, because I don't want to see you get hurt."

I furrowed my brows. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to give myself a clear conscience so that if something happens, I could say that I warned you."

"Hinamori—"

"As much as I love Megumi-chan," she interrupted me, her eyes firmly holding mine. The name startled me speechless. "You can't, Shiro-chan."

Involuntarily, I flinched. I didn't know how to react. I just stared at her.

"You know the consequences," she continued. She didn't look at me. "Not for relationships only, but for emotions."

In my anxiety, I scoffed. "You think I—"

"You may not realize it, but you do," she cut me off again. The grip on her cup was tight. "The night of the winter dance…" She paused. "You should have seen your face when you saw her."

It was getting harder for me to breathe, and I ended up staring unwaveringly at the table even as the waitress came to deliver our food. I stared at the pasta quietly, suddenly without an appetite. My mind flashed back to that star-filled night. It was going to be 'the most uneventful and boring night of my life,' or so I thought, as I leaned against the light post waiting for them. I remember complaining to Hyourinmaru that I was wasting my time and didn't need to be present as a gigai—and that I regretted forcing Nagasuki to come with me, especially in the unstable state that our relationship had taken. When I could finally make out Matsumoto's orange hair in the distance and I approached…

I found out that, with one single glance at the girl walking between Matsumoto and Hinamori, I would never forget that night as long as I continued to exist.

That was the night that I realized that I was straddling the defined, bold line between my standards and my desires. On my standards was Gotei 13, my friends, my allies, my authority, Hinamori. On my desires was… Nagasuki.

I couldn't decide between the two. What had once been firmly my standards over all else was now an undefined. My love for Hinamori had turned to familial love.

"I'm not…" I said weakly. I couldn't finish.

( _Master. _) He had been silent the whole day. ( _She is right. _)

Great, even the dragon knew.

"It's my business," I replied weakly.

"Shiro-chan, you_ are _my business." Hinamori retorted. "You know what could happen if this continues…"

"I'm aware of it," I snapped. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. What was this—was I feeling panic? "I'm not a child anymore. I'm able to take responsibility."

"Shiro-chan," she whispered. "Please be careful."

Her voice didn't mask anything. She was worried, concerned about me—all for the right reasons. We both knew the dire consequences of something as uncontrollable and irrational as our emotions. The heart is a dangerous thing; it could be your ultimate weapon or your key weakness. As a captain, I knew full well what would happen if any of my authorities caught wind of my uncertain thoughts. It could cost me my title, my reputation, and my future.

( _Yet you still risk it._ )

I looked at Hinamori, and my voice grew soft. "Thank you."

"I can say I warned you," she sighed, the tone in her voice relieved. "Well then. Let's finish this Itali-whatever and get going. I'm going to take you to one more place before we see Megumi-chan!"

I blinked, and groaned.

* * *

In the distance, I could hear the clock tower strike five.

We had been out for three more hours. I honestly don't know how the time passed so quickly; all we did was eat, shop more, and visit the house to drop off our things. Ultimately I wanted to check on Nagasuki and make sure she was still safe before letting Hinamori drag me off to do whatever she wanted to do again. But in the end, she never did let me get anywhere near Nagasuki's house and she led me, of all places, into a forest. What had somewhat caught me by surprise was that I didn't sense Nagasuki's reiatsu in her room. I had wanted to ask Hinamori about it, but there was the possibility of her bringing up that topic—the topic that I didn't dare approach again.

Hyourinmaru was persistent about it if Hinamori wasn't and wouldn't leave me alone until I completely tuned him out.

I couldn't let myself think about it—I didn't want to think about it, or her, or what kind of bond we shared.

"Hinamori, where are we _going_?" I asked for the tenth time as leaves crunched beneath us.

"You'll see!" she answered for the tenth time as she continued on her merry way across whatever path she was following. What in the world could be out here that she wanted to show me?

After about five more minutes, I was gathering the breath to voice another complaint with an order to take me back to civilization until it hit me.

The reiatsu, that is.

It was like a barrier had been broken down and the reiatsu from within began pouring out, as if there was a dam holding it all back. All sorts of reiatsu—not hostile, as far as I could tell—bombarded me as we ventured further into the forest. Large bodies, small bodies, those in between—I could feel all of it. Hinamori kept strolling without even a pause, which alarmed me. Did she not sense what I was sensing? That was impossible—of course she would. Then would that mean that I was imagining things?

But I could feel it as if it were a breeze…

And then the reiatsu became familiar.

Kurosaki, Kuchiki, Yamada, Madarame, Yumichika, and a few more—the bombardments of reiatsu belonged to them. In curiosity I reached Hinamori's pace. What in the world were they all doing out in the middle of nowhere? I didn't sense any Hollows or Bounto in the vicinity. What caused them to all gather? Especially with Madarame and Yumichika—they weren't even in the human world to begin with.

We came across an opening to a clearing—the clearing where they all were congregated. I glanced at Hinamori once more, who was leisurely continuing her walk. "We're here," she announced as soon as we reached the edge of the foliage. "Though, I guess you can already tell what's going on…"

"What _is_ going on, Hinamori—" She allowed me to enter first.

When I saw the shadows of the bodies approach, I thought I was being attacked.

"_Happy Birthday, Toushirou!_" they shouted.

My eyes widened and I froze in mid-step.

Kurosaki, Kuchiki, Yamada, Madarame, Yumichika, Inoue—there were more people here than I thought. It took me a second to register their presence, and then what they were saying. Happy birthday?

Before I could say anything, Kurosaki bounded up to me with a large grin on his face and looped his arm around my shoulders. "I didn't know it was your birthday, Toushirou! You're lucky I didn't go out of town today with my family!" he exclaimed.

"Kurosaki, what is this?" I murmured, too shocked to react.

Near the middle of the clearing there were tables, chairs, and blankets set up. Food, drinks, plates, cups, plastic-ware and other random items were scattered along them. A CD player sat on the corner of one table and was softly playing some sort of music that I couldn't recognize over the voices and another table harbored boxes and bags that I guessed were presents. Kurosaki and the others led me over to the table in the middle which held nothing but a gargantuan cake that read, in bright green icing, 'Happy Birthday, Toushirou.' I stared at it for a while before it all clicked.

I had been set up.

Hinamori waking me up and keeping me up and out in her sight the entire day—it was a plot that they made to set this all up for me. A surprise party—just like what I did for Thanksgiving. Why didn't I suspect this sooner?

"We wanted to get you candles, but we weren't sure how many to buy," Inoue admitted sheepishly, sticking out her tongue. "It's chocolate, though, so I hope you like it!"

I wasn't even thinking about the cake.

"Everyone…" I murmured, suddenly aware of circle that had enveloped me. "Thank you."

Someone leaped onto me from behind, and judging from the size and build, I could easily make out Matsumoto. "Oh, don't thank us, taichou!" she said, latching herself around my neck. She pulled me backwards to let everyone gain access to the cake; apparently they knew I wasn't going to be eating it after just having lunch.

"What?" I questioned.

She leaned down to whisper, "Megumi-chan planned it all for you."

I blinked. "Nagasuki?"

Matsumoto just giggled, patted my back, and dove in to join the others in their feast, leaving me bewildered. Nagasuki had planned this? She wasn't even here. Her reiatsu wasn't anywhere… oh.

Just as I was thinking that, a familiar burst of reiatsu appeared from the edge of the clearing and I turned to see Nagasuki tumbling into the scene, her huffing audible even from where I was standing. At the sight of her I could feel a strange sensation building in my chest… what?

( _Happiness, master._ )

"Sorry I'm late," she puffed as she jogged over to me. Her cheeks and nose were red from running and, with the addition of a smile on her face, she looked like a little child. "I forgot your present so I had to run back home to get it." In her grasp there was a box no bigger than her hand, and she slipped it to me. "Happy birthday, Toushirou."

I accepted the gift silently, wondering what to say. "… You idiot," I huffed, pocketing it. It was small enough. "Do you know how early Hinamori woke me up this morning?"

The girl simply laughed.

I couldn't help but reveal a small smile. It seemed that whenever I was around her, there was always something to smile about. "Thank you, Nagasuki." The pounding in my chest increased. "This wasn't necessary."

Her smile only widened and she playfully slapped my shoulder. "You're retarded," she simply stated. "It's your birthday! Of course it was necessary!"

I didn't say anything and only kept that small smile. Behind me I could hear the others shouting and laughing as they began a game. As much as I didn't like acknowledging my own birthday, I found myself enjoying the company. They all made me feel as if I was something special, as if this was a day of importance. I didn't really see what they saw in it, but the joy that came with the knowledge that people found it significant enough to celebrate it was overwhelming. Who would've known that a simple surprise party could make me feel this way?

The warmth within me spread, as did the happiness; and for once in my life, I didn't feel like working. The most I felt like doing was sitting around and relaxing…

"Hey, look, everyone!" Hinamori shouted. "It's… _snowing_!"

I didn't realize it until she yelled it. I looked upwards and, sure enough, there was snow as big as cotton balls drifting from the overcast clouds, drifting in the frigid wind and clinging to the oaks and the bushes below. Cake and games were forgotten as everyone plunged into the snow like children, cheering and playing in the unusual weather.

Wait. Did I…?

( _Yes, that was you._ ) Hyourinmaru affirmed. ( _Happy birthday, master._ )

I stared in awe at the scene. I couldn't remember the last time I made it snow…

In just minutes, the entire clearing was covered in several inches of snow, thus initiating snow balls fights and certain idiots jumping into the snow and making snow angels. Not wanting to be included in their 'fun,' I made my way over to the near edge of the clearing where I could see everyone. Hinamori and Matsumoto playing in the snow, Kurosaki starting snowballs fights, everyone else joining in; everyone, that is, except one.

Like a true child enjoying a white Christmas, Nagasuki was in her own secluded area of the clearing, twirling around like the idiot she was. She didn't strike me as the type to particularly find fun in snowball wars, and I doubt she would survive in one anyway.

As I stood there, alone, familiar flashbacks bombarded me from last night's dream. It was so similar that I thought I had fallen asleep again.

_I was walking, meandering through a clearing that was blanketed under snow. Snowflakes rained from the sky, dancing in the cold breeze and clinging to the tree trunks briefly before condensing into moisture. Despite the howl of the wind and scratching of leaf-against-leaf, all was silent—and I was alone, lost in the mass of white._

The more I tuned out the other noises, the more I could hear it—hear her… _singing._

_There was laughter—faint at first, but gradually growing, gradually elevating into something soft, melodic…_

She was twirling, singing.  
"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful;  
And since we've nowhere to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!  
It doesn't show signs of stopping, and I've bought some corn for popping,  
The lights are turned way down low; let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

_Singing._

_I could see something—someone—dancing in the distance, twirling beneath the shower of snow, singing at the top of their lungs._

She continued her carol.  
"When we finally kiss good-night, how I'll hate going out in the storm!  
But if you'll really hold me tight, all the way home I'll be warm!  
The fire is slowly dying, and my dear, we're still good-bying,  
But as long as you love me so,  
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

She stopped to look over towards me, despite me being at least twenty yards away. With a smile large enough for anyone anywhere to notice and warm enough to melt glaciers, she waved me to come join her.

_It was an angel._

( _Master… _)

Despite the warning tone from my partner and my own mind, I found myself walking towards her, although unsure of what I was going to do once I reached her.

"Isn't this awesome, Toushirou? It never snows in Karakura and here it is, falling enough to fill buckets! And on your birthday!" she exclaimed. She held her palms up, trying to catch individual drops. "You know, I used to hate snow. Rain and snow—I absolutely loathed them. I've always known snow to be cold, bitter and solemn… but this snow, for some reason, feels… _warm_."

I tried to hold back a scoff. "That makes no sense." My snow was warm?

Nagasuki stared upwards for a second longer, and finally laughed. "Yeah, I know it doesn't. But I like this snow."

I rolled my eyes. "Idiot."

Nagasuki hit me again and suddenly fell on her knees, beginning to scoop up snow in her palms. "Hey, let's build a snowman, Toushirou!"

I watched her quietly. "I'll pass."

She pouted up at me. "Aww, come on! It's snowing! We have to make one while we can—we don't know how many more years will pass until we get this much!"

"It's already snowing. Can't you just be satisfied with that?"

She paused, thinking about my question, before flashing another bright grin at me. "Oh, I'm more than satisfied." I held my breath.

The heart was a dangerous tool that could either be your strongest weapon or your key weakness.

"Oh, I know! I'll make a huge snowman! There's enough snow here…"

As I watched her indulge in the snow, I wonder which it was for me. With the throbbing sensation that I'm feeling now, I felt as if I could create a world-wide blizzard with no problem at all. But if the feelings I'm harboring are ever discovered by Yamamoto or any of the other captains…

"Toushirou? Are you okay?" Nagasuki murmured, now standing and staring at my face in bewilderment. The more she looked at me and the more I could look into her cobalt eyes, the more blurry my thoughts became.

My heart—it was consuming me. My thoughts, my actions, my movements…

Her eyes widened with confusion and alarm as I gently seized her arms, holding her gaze firmly. I was fighting the emotions within me—my heart was telling me to take the chance, take the risk, and don't fear the consequences. My mind was telling me to run away, never speak to her again, and abandon any feeling that I had for this human girl. My body wanted to listen to my heart; my logic wanted to follow my mind.

I was being torn halfway in between.

I could feel her pulse throbbing through her arms against my fingers, and I could tell she was wondering what in the world I was doing. She knew as much as I did—I had no clue. She continued to stare at me, and her lips parted as if she were going to say something—but all that was released was her breath, shaking with nervousness.

I couldn't fall in love with a human. It was illogical, illegal, and there were major consequences—or maybe 'punishments' would serve as a better term. When I became a captain, I didn't even give a second glance to that rule. I knew that would never happen. I had Hinamori—there was no way that human could come between us.

Yet here I was, questioning my emotions towards a stupid human girl and Hinamori wasn't even discussed in my thoughts. The line—my defined, bold line separating my standards from my desires—was gone. There was no more line. My only standard, my only desire… was Nagasuki Megumi. At the moment, nothing else mattered. Not the consequences, not the punishments, not the laws…

There was only her and me, standing in the fluttering snow with no one else.

( _Master… the consequences—_your_ consequences…_ ) Hyourinmaru's voice was stern.

But as her petite, frail body shivered with the cold breeze that swept by, all rational thought, logical feeling, and personal standards were swept with it; and despite the throbbing of my own heart and my mind and logic screaming no, as soon as I pulled her to me and my mouth fell over her quivering lips, every protesting thought disappeared into thin air and I was thrown into a cloud of emotions.

My fate—sealed.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

* * *

**A/N:** Oh yeeeaaah baby. I've been waiting for this chapter for the last twenty chapters. AND NOW IT'S FINALLY HERE! I hope you all enjoyed it. A tribute to Toushirou's birthday and a puzzling moment between him and Megumi that leaves us asking "What next?!" Every chapter from here on will be a joy to write. I absolutely can't wait. I bet some of you are guessing what might happen next, seeing as how I tend to be predictable (much to my chagrin), but I hope you guys enjoy as the story will (slowly) come to an end. Depending on how lazy I am and how fast or slow I want to go, the number of chapters for the story may dwindle (from 60 to 50-55). Yes, I'm just a bottle of uncertainty.

But that's what makes stories fun, isn't it?

I don't know if I'm going to update by Christmas (most likely not. Sorry everyone!), but I will try to get a chapter up by New Years. No guarantees though. In case you don't hear from me again, I hope you all have a FANTASTIC Christmas and New Year! I really, truly love you all! Much love and appreciation to each reviewer and reader. You guys are the BEST!

Only you guys are capable of giving me 49 reviews in two days!

**13Lulu's, erina destiny, haku fan1, Mina Luriya, Verbal Argument, viettvnt, aminea88, D R A G O N L I L I E S, Minako, pinkatailmon, Sakiru Yume, indigoia, , Normal-looking freak, dokuki, AkaMizu-chan, DustyDoll, Crunch Berry Baroness, RyuseiStreamGirl, Melodicxstar, Morbid Mello, I'm a Reader, Kosa Kinoshita, angiesecret89, Kukino3, -lazy llama-, SunsetRainbow, Hikari6007, KurokamiHaruhi, lill' goddess, hyourin-kusabana, Kouyan, NeferNeferi, littleva, Mika25, Eryn Goddess of Chaos, fanny-kun, haipa-chan, joster13, Fallen Angel 2115, iheart , shannaandlouise, Hiei's-Dark-Little-Phoenix, PennyArcadeFan2, NamineNasha, jazzmin92, The Elemental Alchemist Reyna, LadyAmazon, NiinaKyo, THANK YOU!**

**Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

Peace to all!  
- bayo – bayo!


	36. Making Memories

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a _fantastic_ Christmas! I managed to update in a little over a week, and with a longer chapter again! I hope you all enjoy. It's a little late, but it's a Christmas-y chapter nonetheless. I have an exclamation to add at the end, though, so stay tuned and happy reading!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – S I X :**  
_"Making Memories"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm sorry I haven't been as faithful as I should when it comes to journal-keeping; I never was the kind of girl to keep diaries, much less update consistently. But I don't think of you as a diary; I think of you more or less as an outlet. I need something to vent to with every crazy event that happens; and this, my dear diary, is some crazy event. I'm still not sure whether I was dreaming or hallucinating or what… But I know it happened in some way or form, and I know that_ he_ knows his pretending acts don't fool me. Not this time. This was too major, too critical, for me to overlook._

_You know, I never gave much thought about what the consequences would be for a relationship between a human and Shinigami until just recently. Metsuki and her lover were involved in the same situation and the Shinigami was exiled and eventually killed. Metsuki killed herself to become a Shinigami, and then… Yes. That happened._

_What would happen to me if I were placed in that situation… with Toushirou?_

_It sounds so strange, so alien. Toushirou and I involved in a relationship? Pretty much impossible. And no, I'm not saying that it's happened— life hasn't been _that_ good to me. Yes, I know you're anxious to hear what's happened. Now I'm not saying it was a bad thing—it was actually one of the best things that's happened in my entire life—but it was… well, let's just say it wasn't an act to be smiled upon. You see, Toushirou's birthday was just four days ago._

_And, well, he kind of… kissed me._

_Okay, it wasn't a 'kind of.' He 'definitely' grabbed me and gave me a full-blown lip-lock. Or maybe it wasn't as big as I thought it was… I don't know. My memory began to fade the moment he grabbed me, and I was pretty much knocked out by the time he actually did it… But anyway, whether it was a small peck or a serious kiss, he definitely did it._

_And I nearly went insane. Funny that the time I go insane is when he kisses me rather than when I'm about to get eaten by a Hollow or when kidnapped by a Bounto._

_But as obvious as it was, I still couldn't tell what he was thinking. Was he tired? Sick? Possessed? Paid? I didn't know anymore. The rest of the events on his birthday were nothing but blurs, and the past few days nothing else happened. We rarely made eye contact or talked, which confused me even more. If he liked me, which would be a miracle in itself, wouldn't he say something? And even if he didn't, wouldn't he say something still? Toushirou wasn't the guy to avoid talking about something like this, especially. I could tell he was already in deep thought—he always had his thinking face on when I looked at him—but he refused to share any of those thoughts with me, even if I asked. _

_Had he been caught? Was he in trouble? He wouldn't let me know._

_And that's not all. Rangiku and Momo haven't been talking much to me either since that incident. Was something going on that I wasn't aware of?_

_Thinking about it for the past few days gave me less hours of sleep than I drastically needed. Thank goodness that it's Christmas break._

_Looking at the clock, I see that it's about to strike midnight; which means Christmas is just around the corner. It'll be a very cruddy Christmas if a certain someone(s) still refuses to talk to me. It feels weird being left out._

_Thanks, diary. I feel much better now; maybe I can actually get some sleep tonight._

_Love,  
__Megumi_

* * *

"Geez, Megumi-chan, you look terrible. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" Hikaru inspected my face for a second longer before letting a higher level of disapproval pull down the corners of his lips. "… Or did you wake up on the floor?"

I swatted him away and yawned. "Leave me alone," I murmured, forcing a groggy-eyed glare. He stared at me for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. Ignoring him, I turned back to the book I was reading. "Why are you bugging me again?"

"Bugging you?" Hikaru repeated, feigning hurt. "I came to visit you!"

"Same difference."

"Ouch."

"Just kidding," I quickly casted, giving him a smile. "But honestly, did you have to visit me in the wee hours of the morning? It's not even ten yet."

Glancing at my clock, I saw that it was about eight o'clock. I guess I didn't rant enough in my journal last night, because I didn't sleep an ounce. It wouldn't have mattered if Hikaru visited at midnight or four in the morning, since he wouldn't find me sound asleep in my bed. Speaking of the Bounto, I had no idea what the purpose was for his visit. He didn't usually do this; actually, this was the first time he's ever visited me alone. Unless Riana was hiding somewhere outside, it was just me and him. Somehow I got the feeling that he didn't come 'just to visit,' but I wasn't really going to push him to tell me what was going on. No one else was telling me anything anymore anyway.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not bitter—I'm honestly not. I was actually really worried.

"Something bothering you?" he asked, not taking his eyes from my face. He sat perched at the foot of my bed while I sat across from him, my blanket covering my legs and my book in my lap. I briefly had a memory lapse and forgot that I was still in my pajamas.

"Is something bothering _you_?" I countered, nonchalantly finding my place in my book again. Hikaru, as dense as he appeared to be, actually had one of the sharpest eyes out there. I swear he can pick out a thief on the street with just a glance. "You don't usually visit me alone. Did you have something to say?"

I didn't fool him. I had better think up a convincing lie to tell him when he brings that up again… "I wanted to be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas," he shrugged. With a single blue eye he observed me carefully. "Unless your Shinigami punk beat me to it."

Well, now I knew what he suspected was bothering me. He was unbelievable. "Merry Christmas to you too, Hikaru," I grinned. I snapped my book shut and threw myself out of bed. My legs received goose bumps after their first contact with the cold wooden floor. Turning to him, I offered an apologetic smile. "I didn't get any Christmas presents for everyone this year, unfortunately. It's been a… stressful past few months, to say the least, plus I'm broke."

Hikaru scoffed. "Who needs presents? I still have my best friend and she doesn't hate me, so I'm good." Another cautious stare. "… Unless I'm wrong."

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his big shoulders, pulling him into a small side-hug. "Of course you still have me, stupid-head."

"That's good to know," he sighed in relief, patting my arm. I pulled back and tossed myself back onto the bed. "So what are you doing today?"

"I'll probably hang out with Takuya-oji for a little while and then visit Riana," I shrugged. "I didn't really plan anything big. What about you?"

"Hmm. Good question. We Bounto don't celebrate Christmas… not with Yasuo, anyway," he replied, grinning sheepishly. "I guess I'll wander around Karakura until I find something to do. Hey, since you said you didn't plan anything, later do you want to…" He drifted, until he eventually paused. "Oh, crap."

I blinked. He looked like he had been concentrating on something, which caused him to trail. "What?"

Unexpectedly he leaped off the bed, cursing to himself. "Does he ever leave you alone?" he growled. He turned to look at me, and I returned the gaze. Judging by the disappointed look in his eyes, I assumed I was right about him wanting to tell me something.

But wait. Was Toushirou coming?

"I'll talk to you later I guess," he murmured, patting my head. Am I some dog now? "Be good." With an expression that I couldn't describe plastered on his unreadable face, he took a majestic leap out the window and disappeared with the wind. What's with my window and everyone using it as a door? People use it more than I use my own door.

But that was surprising—he must have sensed Toushirou. Ever since 'that' happened, he hasn't been visiting me as frequently as he used to. The times he came were irregular now, and I could never guess the next time I'd see him lounging on my bed when I wandered up from downstairs. Something was bothering him, and I think I knew what. But this time it wasn't my fault, right? I mean, he started it and everything. It's not like I forced him to—

_Woosh_.

The more I hung out with them, the more sensitive I became to reiatsu. I wasn't like the Shinigami or Bounto in any way; I couldn't sense and pick out certain people from far away, but I could tell when something was approaching me. I couldn't usually name who or what it was, exactly, all the time, but I had become aware of the difference in reiatsu with each Shinigami or Bounto or Hollow I encountered. For instance, there was Toushirou's. He had a big bundle of reiatsu and since I was around him the most, I could distinguish his reiatsu from anyone else's. I couldn't really begin to describe the physical difference in reiatsu, but if I had to compare it to something, it was like wind. The more there is, the more you're affected by and aware of it. And with the temperature of the wind, you can tell where it was and what kind of source it was coming from. Not really a good comparison, but who could describe reiatsu?

The point was that I could definitely feel Toushirou's reiatsu.

With a puzzled expression I climbed out of bed once more and stood by my window, looking out into the still and sleepy neighborhood. There was no one on the ground; just the rustle of bushes with the passing breeze. I glanced up.

Oh. There he was.

He was farther away, but I could make out that white mop of hair anywhere. He was standing in the sky on literally nothing but air. Even from here I could see that his face was twisted into the scowl that it was usually in. But that wasn't what surprised me—no, not even the standing on air part.

He was talking to Hikaru.

"Oh no. Oh my gosh. Oh no," I murmured, watching helplessly from my window. Hikaru wouldn't start a fight, would he? Oh, he better not. He'd have me to deal with if that happened. What was he doing? I thought he hated Toushirou. Why was he talking to him? And by the looks of it, it didn't seem like he was telling Toushirou something that he wanted to hear. I held my breath. Both bodies were rigid, yet composed; neither took a defensive stance. They stood like perfect gentlemen having a nice chat.

It seemed like forever, but finally Hikaru stopped talking and Toushirou said something. The red-head glanced back in my direction. I didn't do anything but stare back, and he made a face. He turned back to Toushirou briefly, said one more thing, and disappeared.

I let my muscles relax. No fights.

I stood back to allow Toushirou entrance into my room, and he was down and lounging in my chair as if he owned the place in about thirty seconds. He didn't even look bothered; it was as if nothing happened. He glanced up at me when I didn't stop staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"What happened? What did he say?" I asked, more nervous than I thought I was. "Tell me everything!"

"Nothing important," he replied, shrugging.

Cue the awkward silence. This is what's happened between us ever since the kiss. Conversation didn't come as easy as it used to; words were hard to voice and thoughts became muddled for me whenever I so much as thought about him. By looking at him, I was pretty much a mindless doll. I couldn't ask him what was wrong. I couldn't tell him what I felt about him. As much as I loved him, and as much as I liked the fact that he did that… I didn't want it to be like this. What happened to our name-calling? His teasing? His insults? He hasn't called me an idiot ever since that Saturday, and I was about ready to blow. Should I have fought when he kissed me? Was he testing me—testing my feelings? Would Toushirou do that?

Was this it? Was our relationship going to be forever scarred because of this? I didn't want that—I didn't want the relationship we had to halt. Not when I was so happy, so content with just being his friend—

"What are you doing today?" he asked after what felt like hours, before finally bringing his gaze up to meet mine. The expression in his eyes was cautious.

The question surprised me. My answer was like a reflex. "U-Um, nothing."

He thought for a moment, looking like he was debating his words in his head, before glancing over at me again. "Do you want to… hang out?" He drifted in the middle of the question. Apparently he didn't know what other term to use. It sounded alien coming from him.

Anyway, I was rendered speechless. What brought this up all of a sudden? "H-Hang out? Now? With me?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, I actually wanted to get to know your uncle more."

I panicked. He wanted permission from Takuya-oji or something? Was he going to—? "W-W-Well, I g-guess that c-could be arranged…"

"Nagasuki, don't have a heart attack," Toushirou sighed, standing up. He flicked my forehead. "I was joking."

I blinked, my heart rate still soaring. "You joke?!"

This time he spared me no sympathy as he upright slapped the back of my head. "Shut up and breathe, you idiot!"

I obeyed. Not protesting or whining after he slapped me, I simply fell into the chair he had been sitting in and did breathing exercises. I was more nervous than I thought. "Sorry," I sighed, rubbing my face with my hands. "I'm a little jittery today."

"Never would have guessed."

"Oh, hush," I snapped. After a few more seconds I glanced up at him with a smile. "You know, that was the first time you've called me an idiot since…" I paused. Oh, great. "Since, uh, Saturday."

An idiot would have known what my mind was on right now, and Toushirou was anything but one. He looked at me for a moment before wandering towards the window, his arms crossed over his chest. "Get dressed. I'll meet you outside."

Anxiety washed over me again. "You were serious?"

"I thought I didn't joke?" he rolled his eyes again. "Don't be long." And with that, he disappeared out the window with a smooth jump.

I stared out where he had exited for a few seconds before letting my hand fall over my heart. The rate of the beats was slowly going down. Oh man, this was going to be a torturous Christmas.

I stood in front of my closet, debating what I should wear. "Oh my gosh. He just said "hang out.' What a dork…"

* * *

"So, uh…" I nervously murmured. "What brought this on?"

Eventually I just decided on a plain old jean skirt, tee shirt, and boots. Nothing else would cooperate. During the time that it took me to change, Toushirou had switched into his gigai, which was beautifully adorned, as usual. I felt like such an inferiority when I stood next to him…

"Today's a holiday, isn't it?" Toushirou asked back, plugging his hands into his white coat.

I arched a brow. "Yeah. Christmas. Don't tell me you've never had a real Christmas before…"

He shrugged. "Seireitei doesn't really celebrate holidays. At least, in the Gotei 13 we don't."

"Well, you've had to have had a Christmas when you were still alive, right?"

"I don't remember anything from being alive."

I gaped at him. That was something new… At least, I don't think he's ever said that before. "You don't remember anything? Nothing at all?"

"No."

We paused at a place I came by every day on my way to school. It wasn't anywhere that was crowded with people, which was good. It was just a little back path that led from the neighborhood to the town. It sat on a ledge overlooking the landscape below and gave a clear, breathtaking view of the afternoon sky. Behind it was a tall, slanted concrete wall with built-in stairs leading to a small forest. To ensure the safety of tourists, there was a short railing separating the walkway from the steep grassy slope. While I slowed down to stare, Toushirou walked to the middle of the small path and hopped over the railing to sit on it while facing the scene. Judging by the way he wandered here so easily and immediately went to that spot, he came here often. I went to go join him after carefully stepping over the railing.

I took a moment to breathe in the crisp air and look at the bright blue sky with the lazy, puffy clouds drifting across it, before returning to the subject at hand. I had to think for a moment to remember what we were talking about.

"Did you bonk your head or something on your way to Soul Society? Was it amnesia?"

Toushirou's eyes were glued on the scene before him. It looked like he barely acknowledged that I was there. "When you die, you forget the life you lived as a human. You're 'reborn' once you're translated to Soul Society to start everything fresh."

"That's so sad," I said, frowning. Losing every single memory you held dear and the people you knew at the time—that must be horrible. I couldn't imagine it… "Not even your parents?"

"Nothing." His expression was nonchalant.

"So you don't know who your parents were?" I pressed, shocked. I knew he had a grandma he was still in contact with, as I discovered via Thanksgiving. "Don't you get curious sometimes?"

He shrugged. "I used to."

"What happened?"

"No matter how hard I searched and studied, I couldn't find anything. Not a name under the surname 'Hitsugaya,' no record of anyone knowing them, nothing. So eventually, I just gave up." When he noticed my expression—whatever it was then—in the corner of his eye, he continued. "Don't overreact, Nagasuki. It doesn't bother me anymore."

"That's so unfair, though," I whispered. "Your memories are yours. No one should be able to take them from you."

His answer was soft. "Unfortunately, things aren't like that."

"So… When I die, I'll remember nothing from this life," I stated. "Not my childhood, not Metsuki, not Takuya-oji?"

"None of them."

"Not even… a life where I knew Shinigami, like you?"

"No."

I tensed. I would forget everything I hold dear now? I wouldn't remember my friends, my family, my life… Toushirou? "I would forget about you," I concluded.

"As if you never met me."

Sadness—it was engulfing me, swallowing me, all so suddenly. Life suddenly seemed insignificant to me—pointless. What was the point of living a life where I would die and forget everything? Everything I've lived for, everything I've lived to be, everything I was… I would forget it all. But what hurt the most was that I would forget Toushirou.

"Do you regret saving my memories, Toushirou?" I asked quietly. "Would you have rather had it that we never met?"

When he didn't answer immediately, I could only guess what his answer was. "Promise me something, will you?" I asked him, not wanting to wait for his answer. I didn't want to hear it, in fear of how I would react. It was a dumb question to ask. I already had him promise that he wouldn't erase my memories, so I won't make him promise again. No, this time I had another favor. "When I lose my memories…" I paused. "When I lose my memories, can we be friends again?" I saw him tense beside me. "Can you meet me again? If I can't keep my memories… I want to start them anew."

"I can't just leave Seireitei every occasion to come visit you, Nagasuki. I have work to do." His tone was serious, contemplative.

"I… just want to know that you exist." If I forgot about Toushirou and how much I loved him, then my life wouldn't be worth living anyway. If I only knew his name after my erased memories, maybe the love would stir again.

I thought for a moment.

No, it would definitely stir up again.

"Please?" I held up my pinky to him again, a childish and sheepish grin on my face. "Promise?"

Toushirou started at my movements, and when he saw my pinky his lips drew into a dry almost-smile. "Idiot."

I said nothing and simply waited.

He stared for a moment longer, looked away for another, and finally pulled his hand out from his pocket. His face was calm and kept as I seized his pinky with mine. "You may not know anything else but my name," he warned.

"That's fine."

His eyes hardened. "You'll forget about me again after prolong absences."

I grinned wryly. "You leave quite the impression."

His gaze held mine for about a second more before he pulled his hand away, sighing to himself. As he went to push it back into his pocket, I saw something familiar on his wrist as the sleeve on his arm rode up a bit. Out of reflex I grabbed his arm and brought it back to me.

He was caught off guard. "What are you—?"

"You're wearing it," I said, incredulous. A wider grin broke out on my face as I stared up at him. "You're actually wearing it!"

A caught expression exhibited on his face and he turned away heatedly, yanking his arm out of my grasp and shoving his hand back into his pocket. There was a hint of embarrassment on his features that was exposed with a little pink on his cheeks. It was amusing to watch. "Is it really that surprising?" he grumbled.

My grin widened.

Finding a birthday present for Toushirou was a very difficult task, considering I had no idea what he liked (besides watermelons, and it would be lame if I got him that for his _birthday_) or what his tastes were. I considered a gift card to a restaurant or something, but I figured Toushirou could care less about food. He didn't look interested in clothes or smells or anything like that, and I wasn't about to get him something plush. The fact that I wasn't necessarily leaking money at the time didn't help my tough case, either. I didn't want to be cheap nor did I want to be over the top. I needed it to be something simple, something that I would give…

And the brilliant solution that I came up with was a friendship bracelet. But not just any friendship bracelet—a home-made one. Luckily I still had materials left from a kit I got for my birthday several years ago. I never was patient or coordinate enough to sit down and make something for a present, but to me this was the perfect idea for a gift for Toushirou.

The task was long, hard, and frustrating. I lost count of how many times I had to start over and how many times I messed up or skipped a step, but eventually it was finished. It wasn't anything fancy. I kept it nice and simple. It was constructed of thread and I used four colors: green, white, blue, and gray. I tried to find a green beautiful enough to match his eyes. The color I chose had nothing compared to them, but it was close enough. White, of course, was for his hair—a pure snow white. Those were the colors that represented Toushirou. Blue was made to represent my eyes. I didn't put much thought into the shade; I simply looked in a mirror and chose the closest one. The bag called it sapphire blue. Gray was used for my hair, which was a very weird color—a dark blue-gray. I guess it was bluer than it was gray, but I didn't want to use another blue; so I got a lighter gray that looked good combined with the other colors. Using those four color threads, I weaved them very carefully into a thick knotted pattern that was about a quarter of an inch thick and six inches long, with a loop on one end and a button on the other for a clasp.

It turned out a lot better than it looked in my hands, but I expected that out of hours of hard labor and frustration.

Or maybe it looked so good because Toushirou was wearing it, and anything looked absolutely gorgeous on him.

I didn't think he would like jewelry, a bracelet nonetheless, but I guess I was wrong. "It looks good on you," I commented absent-mindedly, the grin not leaving my face.

He still didn't look at me. "Thank you." He paused. "For the gift, I mean. You didn't need to trouble yourself."

"I needed to practice my tailoring skills," I grinned.

His eyes briefly met mine again and he turned away to look at the sky once more, leaning more casually on the rail. I followed his gaze. Did he pick this spot because he liked the view of the sky? It was an amazing sight… I sighed in bliss before swinging my legs back over onto the walkway. Immediately his head turned as I grabbed his elbow. "In return for your promise, I'll give you another memory," I declared.

Toushirou had to get off his seat or risk me shoving him completely off. "What?"

"I'll give you a proper Christmas! Come on!" I urged, excited as I pulled him along.

He groaned and reluctantly followed.

It amazed me how clueless Toushirou was about holidays—Christmas, especially—as I took him on a tour to the center of Karakura, where they were holding some sort of a Christmas bazaar for the afternoon. Stands were set up everywhere with different holiday themes that taught him something new with each visit. As disinterested as he tried to be, I could tell that he was somewhat intrigued with the holiday. That made teaching him even more fun.

I didn't realize how fast the time seemed to fly until the sky was darkening into the evening and stands were beginning to close down. I was slightly disappointed as Toushirou walked me back to my house, a snow cone in hand. I should have known that Toushirou would like snow cones.

One memory for him, and one for me. We were still even, but I was the one that probably enjoy this one the most. What could be more fun than spending the day with the one you were crazy about?

"Mmm, that was good," I murmured, tossing my empty paper cone into a random trash can that sat outside the entrance to my block. I eyed his unfinished cone greedily. "Are you going to finish that?"

Toushirou narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about it."

I pouted and turned away, although it quickly melted into a smile.

When I got home, he had to leave to check on Rangiku and Momo, but that was fine, since Takuya-oji wanted to spend Christmas night together. I managed to make him another woven bracelet from the materials and colors left over from Toushirou's, and he seemed to like it. He always had a soft spot for home-made items. I think he still had all the little art trinkets that I made over years past, too. I got some money, a snazzy new camera, and a photo album. I loved it. I kind of wanted Toushirou to come back tonight so I could snap a few pictures with him (I wonder how hard it would be to get him to sit still for a picture?).

Okay, so this wasn't a cruddy Christmas—no, it was far from it. Toushirou was acting normal, and the fact that he was wearing the bracelet I made him made up for the happiness that I lost for the past few days.

It only made me fall in love with him more… but was that a problem? He never did mention anything about Saturday.

_Oh well, _I wrote in my diary later that night. _He's acting like he usually does now, which I'm thankful for. Christmas was wonderful to me this year, diary, and I loved every single second of today. … Well, the afternoon anyway. _I grinned. _Now I can rest assured that Toushirou won't take my memories and if I do manage to lose them, that he'll still be my friend. I couldn't ask for anything better that I'd want than his friendship for Christmas._

_In five days it'll be New Years. Maybe another memory will be made then, too!_

_Love always,  
__Megumi_

_

* * *

_

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

* * *

**A/N:** A kind of serious, but kind of light-hearted chapter for you all. Not as fluffy, but we can't have fluff every chapter! Next time the plot will start rolling again and the tone drastically goes from casual and happy to… what, I wonder? Hmm. Guess you'll have to find out!

And now onto my rave:

OH MY GOODNESS.

I knew my last chapter would receive more response than the others, but I didn't think it would receive _this_ much. The past record for the most reviews in a single chapter was chapter 27, which held 67. I thought that was freaking a _lot._ But the grand total for chapter 35 in less than a week was… (drumroll)

79. SEVENTY-FLIPPING-NINE. SEVEN AND NINE PUT TOGETHER.

… That's a freaking large number of reviews. And I love you guys to death, almost literally. Thank you soooo much! It absolutely made my Christmas even more wonderful! You guys are the BEST!

And the people to thank for that whopping number of reviews are (deep breath):

**, D R A G O N L I L I E S, Dragon of Twilight, Mei Fire, lill' goddess, littleva, Shining Ducky, FailedWriter, Seimeii-Chan, -lazy llama-, animeOangel, dokuki, Kosa Kinoshita, I'm a Reader, TideDrop, Mari Ferolla, ChidoriShiori, Sakiru Yume, indigoia, ThatKid, SugarLandBabyGirl, viettvnt, Mizuki-the-Crazian, ayaicHang.014, Kukino4, KurokamiHaruhi, , slowlysmiling, AkaMiza-chan, Crunch Berry Baroness, RyuseiStreamGirl, LadyChaos1011, Melodicxstar, Verbal Argument, erina destiny, joster13, aminea88, Riku727, , , SunsetRainbow, hyourin-kusabana, pinkatailmon, LonelyHeartz36, Sorii, fanny-kun, Feather's Shadow, xxSHiNJiRU, Kouyan, sAppHiRa-hiMe, Naishou, Marie 'n Ana, A.C.E-Samma, Mina Luriya, haipa-chan, NiinaKyo, Ehryn Goddess of Chaos, aoitsuki77, Fallen Angel 2115, Dusty Doll, Uchiha Sasha, jazzmin92, ai-bleach, charmedlover101, X-Rage, invisible-gurl, BlackWingzObi, NeferNeferi, Minako, iheart , haku fan1, Mitsuko_ze_fox, YuuYuu-chan, Shanni-chan, Naruto-Lover227, Lady-Orange-Rin, Arelissa, MidnightDrug, Hiei's-Little-Dark-Phoenix…**

**(HUFFHUFF)**

**THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!**

Oh my goodness that's a lot of usernames. 79 of them! Oh my goodness! I love you guys!

Stay tuned for the next chapter! Like I said, things will start stirring up! See you then! And thank you so much again!

Peace,  
Bayo-bayo

PS: Can you guess where Toushirou led Megumi to during their conversation?


	37. Dawn of a New Year

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

First of all—hope everyone had a Happy New Year!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the later update, but I had a block as to how I was going to get back into the plot. How much to indulge, how much to hide—you just have to think hard about these things! Although it's a longer chapter (it's meant to be New Years-ish, by the way), it's definitely not my best work; so sorry about that! The next chapter I will write with everything I've got!

Oh yeah, and about the souls forgetting their memories thing—I know I've seen it been said in an episode/chapter before! That souls forget their memories when they're sent to Soul Society! I swear I have! I've meant to look for confirmation, but I know I've seen/read it in the earlier Bleach episodes/manga!

More things to say at the end of the chapter. Hope you all read and enjoy!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – S E VE N :**  
_"Dawn of a New Year"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

New Year's was, literally, just on the horizon.

I guess it never really dawned on me how valuable or significant a new year was. Some people—children, especially, were guilty of this—viewed the New Year's morning as nothing but another morning, another day, and the same routine. The exclusiveness and the new challenges and changes weren't regarded; thoughts of seeing this as an opportunity didn't cross anyone's minds. For the past fourteen years, I was guilty of this as much as anyone else was. Sure, starting a new year was great, but I didn't really place it anywhere high on the special pedestal. Heck, I didn't even think of it as a holiday. It had never been that special to me.

But now, as I stared out into the brightening darkness from my rooftop, I suddenly began to place New Year's on the top of my "favorite holidays" list.

The wind outside was crisp and biting to the skin, but I was well-prepared. Armed with the heaviest and thickest blanket that I could dig out of our guest's room and a thermos of rich hot chocolate, I was ready. I didn't usually do this; on regular years, I would just sleep through the dawn and shout "happy new year!" in the morning. But this year, for some reason that I couldn't quite place into words yet, I felt urge to watch the sun rise to our new year. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen a sun rise before.

After taking a glance at my cell phone, I saw that it was nearing six o'clock. The sun would start rising soon. I placed my cup of cocoa down and replaced it with the camera that I'd received for Christmas. I wasn't really technology-savvy, but it didn't take me long to know at least the basic functions on the thing—like taking a picture. Now, if you put me on a _computer_…

I snapped a few pictures of the dark skies and mountains, where the sun would be poking up from. I didn't put any pictures in my photo album yet, but how cool would it be to start with some before-and-after pictures of the New Year's morning?

"Megumi-chan?"

I yelped and nearly dropped my camera. Turning to look down in front of me, I saw Takuya-oji poke his head up from behind the roof's ledge. It took me a second to realize that it wasn't a Hollow that was about to attack me. "Oh, morning, Takuya-oji," I sighed. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I could ask you the same thing, kiddo," he replied, grunting as he hoisted himself up onto the ledge. He scooted next to me, and I offered some of my blanket to him. It was definitely big enough. "You gave me quite the scare," he admitted after a few seconds, pulling the blanket tighter around us. I smiled when I saw the bracelet I had made him dangle on his wrist for a second. "I went to check on you and nearly had a heart attack when I didn't see you in your bed."

"I'm sorry I worried you," I sheepishly said. I leaned closer towards him, feeling his warmth. "I didn't think you'd be checking on me. Do you usually do that?" I sure hope not.

"Not really," he shrugged modestly. I knew that was a yes. He was just as bad a liar as I was. "You just… haven't been yourself for the past few days, so I thought I'd check up on you to make sure you were getting your sleep. I was surprised to find you up here." I flinched. He was perceptive.

My father was a very smart man; he owned the Karakura main library and has read almost every book he's touched. I still don't understand why he didn't go for anything medical; he was colleagues with Kurosaki Isshin, who was a doctor. Takuya-oji loved helping people and often helps out Isshin. Whenever I asked him why he didn't pursue the medical field, he would just shrug like he always did and say that he loved books. And he's read every single kind of book there was—besides romance. Adventure, action, comedy, horror, biographies, history, commentaries—he's read it all. His favorite though, I think, was poetry and plays, since I would usually find him reading Shakespeare's plays whenever he wasn't consumed in a national soccer match.

I should've known that lying to Takuya-oji for this long would only get harder; harder both for me to keep lying, and harder because he was starting to see that something was going on. "A lot's been on my mind lately," I admitted, touched that he was checking on me periodically. "But I'm doing a lot better now."

He examined my face, as if confirming my words, before stealing my cup of chocolate and taking a sip. "Did you know that New Year's is my favorite day of the year?" he asked.

I started. "Really?" I guess it shouldn't have surprised me, really. Takuya-oji and I were alike in more ways than one. We liked the same foods, the same drinks, the same styles, the same books—it shouldn't have come as a shock to me that Takuya-oji would like New Year's too. "I'm starting to like it a lot, too."

"With another new year comes another chance to start fresh. So many new things," he said, gulping in more chocolate. "New decisions, new challenges, new choices, new thoughts—the list goes on."

"Tell me about it. I never thought about how valuable a New Year's morning could be until just recently," I murmured, hugging my knees to my chest. "Watching the sunrise would be like watching your hopes for the future materialize."

"Have you decided on a New Year's resolution yet?"

I blinked in surprise. "I haven't even thought about it," I realized. "Have you?"

As I glanced at Takuya-oji, I was mystified to see him staring out into the distance, a small and gentle smile on his young features. "I have, actually." Before I could ask for details, he added, "Look, it's starting."

I glanced towards the mountains—the same mountains I saw whenever I woke up in the morning to open my window, and gasped.

It was subtle at first; you could see the sun getting ready to rise as it traced the top edges of the mountains with a thin strip of light. As if the sky was a blank canvas, Nature splashed her first addition. The sky almost literally seemed to explode with myriads of hues from the colors of red and yellow. What was once a mysterious and gloomy night sky was now transforming into something soft, bright, and beautiful with just a touch of color.

The sight left me motionless, and Takuya-oji stole my camera to take a few pictures.

Another swing of Nature's brush brought the clouds into view, now hot red and majestic purple as colors mixed and conformed. The light was spreading, pouring over the mountaintops like lava seeping from an erupting volcano. The sleeping neighborhood and town of Karakura came next; Nature was having fun throwing colors around. The wandering mist left from the night before still wafted in the town, casting a small haze around the houses. The sun's light brought color to the houses, dropping buckets of yellow and red and brown paint onto rooftops and coloring the trees and grass green. The scene was so still and serene that I could almost see the breeze blowing, as if to help spread the color.

Like a child watching an artist paint, I sat there in complete awe, my mouth hanging slightly ajar.

"This last year and the years before, I haven't been as great as a dad as I should've or wanted to be," Takuya-oji murmured, as if speaking to himself. His thoughts broke my reverie and I had to wrench my eyes away from the picture and to him to pay attention. "You know I've never married before or had any kids. I've lived by myself for a long time—up to when I adopted you, Megumi-chan. It was then that I realized that I couldn't live for myself anymore. I had to live and make money and support both myself and you." I listened quietly, wondering where this was going to lead.

"It was hard at first. I didn't know what I was doing. I got you when you were so little, kid—you were about five years old. I never had any desire to have children someday at all back then, but once Akina dubbed you my permanent charge, that really changed." He paused to laugh to himself at the memories; I longed to be able to get into his mind and see what he was seeing right now. "You were a crazy, energetic, and bouncy kid—drove me nuts sometimes. But you grew onto me, and eventually I decided that if I were going to have a kid in the future, you would be the only one I could tolerate."

He paused so we could laugh for a few seconds. "I'm still new to this whole 'parenting' thing, even after a little over nine years. I'm not exactly the most expressive man in the world," I take that from him too, "and although it may not seem like it at times… I really do love you, Megumi-chan. You're my top priority."

My heart warmed, and I thought that it was going to explode like the sun did over the mountains. "Takuya-oji…"

"So this year, I'm going to become someone you can trust with anything—someone you can come talk to whenever you've got something on your mind. I'll work on this whole parent thing harder than I ever have before." He paused for another second, summing up words in his mind. "I know it's crazy, but sometimes I get the feeling that something's changing… That something big is going to happen very soon." My jaw clenched involuntarily. "And when—_if_ something does happen, if anything happens and you need to talk, I want you to have no doubt in your mind that I'm always here for you. That's my new year's resolution."

With a nervous, shy grin I slipped my arm through his and pulled myself over to him. "Even boy problems?" I teased, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Boys? Simple. Give me a rifle and we'll take care of that problem lickety-split," he scoffed.

I laughed. "Thanks, Takuya-oji. I really appreciate that… I love you, too."

I smiled in amusement when he fidgeted uncomfortably. He was almost as cute as Toushirou when he was flustered. "Did you have any in mind?" he asked suddenly. "Boys, I mean."

I glanced up at him and giggled again. "Maybe one."

"Do I need a rifle?"

The laughing increased, although I doubted that a gunshot would faze Toushirou. "Nah, he's a good guy. No bloodshed required."

He looked dissatisfied. "Do I know this guy?"

"Yeah."

He gazed down at my head. "Is it…"

"Hey, Takuya-oji, let's take a picture!" I exclaimed, grabbing my new camera. "I love this thing!"

He didn't look happy that I cut him off, but that was instantly forgotten the moment I mentioned my love for his gift. "The best one on the shelf!"

We leaned in and I snapped a few photos. In the picture, we looked almost identical—I could definitely pass as a daughter. The lighting from the dawn was perfect. I was about to take another one when Takuya-oji suddenly jumped up, a look of horror on his face. His expression alarmed me. "What?"

"You know how I went to check on you earlier?" he asked.

I nodded.

"I didn't expect to see you up here, so I was distracted. But I was making myself some hot chocolate and I set the water on the stove to boil…"

I slowly understood where he was going and the color drained from my face. "You left it boiling, didn't you?"

He nodded numbly.

I crawled over to the edge of the roof, where I climbed up from my window. "Takuya-oji," I murmured, my eyes wide. "There's steam coming from my window!"

We looked at each other.

And then we screamed and immediately jumped in to save our house from something potentially hazardous. I grabbed my camera, phone, and hot chocolate. Takuya-oji jumped in the window first and waited for me, but as soon as I was about to slip off the ledge and into my window, a nagging feeling halted me.

It was that feeling again—yes, I sensed reiatsu. Something close by… But it wasn't Toushirou's. Or Hikaru's… or anyone I recognized. I paused and looked around again, baffled. Nothing was around that looked out of place. The reiatsu wasn't warm or pleasant; no, this was cold, almost bitter, and hostile.

The reiatsu of a Hollow.

The thought alarmed me and I debated whether or not to just sit up here and let Takuya-oji get away or to act like nothing was happening. Nothing was coming out to get me anyway, for right now; was it safe to be near Takuya-oji?

"Are you stuck, Megumi-chan?" Takuya-oji called from my window.

I gazed around again, uncertain of where the source was coming from and how close it was, until I finally shrugged it off as something minor and slipped off the edge and into my window, where my uncle caught me. Thoughts of the mysterious reiatsu left me as sweat almost immediately formed on my brow from the accumulation of steam.

"From now on, only _I'll_ touch the stove!"

* * *

"So idiocy _does_ run in the family," Toushirou concluded with exasperation. He watched me with disbelieving eyes as I simply fanned myself on my chair. Casually, he leaned against the window sill. "Neither of you are hurt, right?"

"No, I'm fine," I sighed. "Takuya-oji almost had a cow. _Almost,_ especially when he saw the TV getting soaked with condensed steam. It took me a few tries to get to the stinking pot without burning myself, but the stove was eventually turned off and all was peaceful again after about half an hour. So, all is well in the Nagasuki household once more."

"You make it sound so epic," Toushirou said with a hint of humor, a roll in his eyes.

I laughed. "Oh, when something as 'big' as that happens, it becomes epic. Takuya-oji isn't used to having his every day peace interrupted, even by something as little as an over-boiling water pot."

"I see." His eyes focused on my face. I didn't know what he saw, but whatever he saw make him add, "Did something happen?"

His question confused me. "What do you mean?"

"You look… happier," he examined, crossing his arms. "You usually look like you're about to kill someone in the mornings."

I smiled as the events of this morning came back to mind, and I subconsciously disregarded his subtle insult. "Yeah, this morning was good. I got to watch the sunrise with Takuya-oji, and we had good bonding time—I feel closer to him now."

"Hmm."

I glanced over at him, only to be surprised that his face looked… troubled. "What's wrong?"

I should have known something was wrong. Despite the Christmas day we shared, Toushirou's visiting times were still irregular, and he rarely made appearances in the morning. If he ever did show up in my house any more, it was during the afternoon or sometime at night, but hardly ever in the morning. I guess I was still too distracted from the joys of the morning to really think about it.

Toushirou debated whether or not he should tell me. I guess my 'good morning' story wasn't exactly the story he was aiming for from me. "I visited this morning because I sensed an abnormality," he finally said after a few seconds. He looked at me from his peripheral view. "There was something with reiatsu that I wasn't familiar with lingering around your house."

I blinked. That sounded familiar.

"You felt it too?" I asked, surprised. "I guess I wasn't imagining things…"

"'Too'?" Toushirou repeated, eyes slightly widening. "You can sense reiatsu?"

Oh. I guess I never told him. "A little bit," I replied. "I refer to it as 'feel' instead of 'sense,' since that makes more sense to me. But yeah, I can feel reiatsu now, although not as distinctly as you or the others can. I can only feel big bodies of it, and if they're nearby."

"Interesting," Toushirou murmured. "I guess I should've expected that your sense for spirit energy would've manifested eventually."

"This is normal?" I asked.

"For some people, yes. You're around large bodies of reiatsu so frequently that you've become sensitive to them. It's not a surprise."

Aww—and here I thought that I suddenly had some superhuman power like Orihime did. "Then would I be right in guessing that the reiatsu we're feeling belongs to a Hollow?"

"Yes," Toushirou nodded. His gaze turned sideways, where he glanced to the now bustling neighborhood below. The soft breeze from the window gently toyed with his hair. "Strange thing is that it didn't attack you when you were so vulnerable. I was nearby, but they don't usually hide even then. It's unusual behavior."

"Do you think it's one of Yasuo's Hollows?" I asked, pulling my legs up onto the chair. "It may be spying or something."

"I don't know," he replied absent-mindedly. He looked back at me. "But no matter where it's from, we can't be too careful in dealing with Hollows, especially if they're not acting normally."

I sighed. "So, in other words, I'm under house arrest."

"If you want to put it that way."

"Is it okay for me to be here though?" I asked after a second thought, subconsciously glancing towards my door. "Is Takuya-oji in danger if I stay?"

"He should be fine," he shrugged.

Unconvinced, I turned to look at him. "Are you sure? Can I just stay at your place for the day?"

"It's better if you don't," he gruffly replied. I blinked at his response, and he ignored my suspicious expression and mysteriously added, "Trust me."

That confirmed it. The days after that Saturday, the feelings—the discomfort, the frightening twist in my stomach—weren't for naught. Toushirou didn't meet my dumbfounded gaze, but I didn't need his eyes to prove to me that something was wrong. Something was up—and because of that kiss. He seemed to regret what he said, and although I so wanted to question him more, there were no words that would come out of my mouth that would voice it. The only thing I could do was stare at him for the next couple seconds before barely uttering my next question.

"Um… are you just going to stay here then?"

He finally plopped himself on the window sill. "Most likely."

"Okay."

Awkwardness.

It must have been at least five minutes before one of us spoke again. I tried to think of a conversation-starter, but my mind was already over-preoccupied by the problem at hand—or rather, the problem that I knew existed. I may be over-thinking things, but there was very little possibility that was the case. I wanted to ask him what was going on, if there was something I should know that he wasn't telling me. I was busy trying to sort words in my head without panicking, because then Toushirou would know where my mind was and avoid it using every possible avenue.

"Toushirou," I finally murmured. I seemed to stun him out of his own thoughts, since I noticed him flinch. He didn't turn to me, making me believe that he figured out what I was going to ask next: "Is something wrong?"

Usually he would play dumb and pretend to not know what I was talking about, but he and I both knew that I wasn't going to let the topic go. He positioned himself more comfortably on the window sill and replied, "I've got it under control. Don't worry about it."

Guilt washed over me. "So something _did_ happen."

"Minor things."

"Don't try to make me feel better, Toushirou," I murmured. "What happened? You told me that the consequences were serious. Just put all the blame on me and—"

"You wouldn't want that," he interrupted me, still not meeting my gaze.

I winced. I believed him. "But were you punished? There has to be a way that you can avoid punishment…"

He brought a knee up and rested his arm on it. "I told you, Nagasuki. I've got everything under control. Don't worry; things will be back to normal soon."

"To normal"? How normal? I pouted. For some reason, I was thinking that 'things' right now were going way too smoothly. He was still hiding something from me—I could feel it. And I knew that he wasn't going to admit or indulge in my accusation if I ever voiced it. I had so many more questions to ask him—what were _his_ feelings towards me? Did he regret kissing me? Why did he do it? Why wouldn't he tell me what happened?—but I couldn't ask them.

Not that I ever had the chance to.

Toushirou, all of a sudden, leaped out of the window, alert. Surprised, I spun off my chair and threw my upper body out of my window. Toushirou was standing in the air, his hand on the hilt of Hyourinmaru. I could feel his reiatsu steadily rising; and once I focused hard enough, I could feel the same alien reiatsu I felt this morning creep back into my senses. The Hollow was back.

"Where is it?" I asked.

"She's good at hiding her reiatsu," he said, mostly to himself.

I blinked. "_She_? How do you know it's a girl?"

With his back still turned to me, he responded, "This reiatsu belongs to Takara Gina."

My eyes widened to the size of golf balls. "Gina? Gina's here?" I repeated, shocked. Suddenly flashbacks to the day before the Winter Dance—my conversation with Hikaru and Riana—came to mind. Gina was out to get me, and I didn't know why. She wasn't being hostile, as far as I knew, but she was after me—she wanted to get to me. For what, I didn't know, but I wasn't necessarily feeling motivated to stand out in the alley in the dead of night, waiting for her to show up.

But as I thought about Gina and what Hikaru and Riana told me, a weird and far-fetched thought came to mind.

Before I could relay a message to my legs, I pulled myself from the window and ran downstairs, giving a brief hug and "see you later" to a stunned Takuya-oji before barreling out the front door.

Toushirou met me on the driveway. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

I grabbed his arm and started running towards the park so I could get into forest. "I had this crazy idea," I told him. He waited for an explanation. I might as well start from point one. "So it turns out that Gina and her mom merged to form one Hollow, and they're out to get me."

I nearly had whiplash as Toushirou abruptly halted, making me fly back into him. "_What_?"

"Not really a complicated story! For some reason they're looking for me, and I got this weird idea that maybe she's not hunting me…" I lowered my voice as the thought came across my mind. "She might want to talk to me." The confusion on his face was sort of amusing. I gave him a guilty grin. "Hikaru and Riana."

At the names, his eyes narrowed. "I guess I shouldn't have expected you to listen to me…" Although his words were reprimanding, scolding, there was a hint of humor in his voice. "Why must you be chased by everything?" he sighed, mostly to himself. "What makes you think she wants to talk with you rather than convert you into her lunch?"

"Well," I started, holding up my hand. "She's been near me numerous times—even when I'm alone—and hasn't attacked me; she hasn't attacked anyone else as far as I know, which leads me to think she isn't bloodthirsty; and Hikaru said she was screaming my name when he and Riana were trying to chase her down." With each thing I listed, I listed with one finger. "And especially considering the first, I'm thinking that my guesses might be right."

"You know you may as well be very wrong and she just wants you to think that," Toushirou suggested.

"That's why you're coming with me to the forest," I chirped, almost laughing. "That way, if my logical plan fails, you'll be there!"

He rolled his eyes. "Ingenious, Nagasuki."

"Shut up," I huffed, turning around to run again. "Let's go!"

Apparently he decided to speed things up, for he grabbed me and we disappeared into the wind.

* * *

"If you've walked us into a trap, I might have to kill you," Toushirou warned, walking by my side as we ventured cautiously into the forest.

"I don't think Gina's that kind of person," I said, my senses open and alert for her reiatsu.

"With the length of time that she's been a Hollow, I doubt she has any trace of humanity left in her. And if she does, it would be well-buried."

"Well, Mr. Pessimism, I guess we just have to hope for the best then, huh?"

"It's not pessimism—it's realism."

I ignored him and continued on, eyes and ears alert. The leaves crunched under our feet noisily and the breeze caused the leaves in the trees and bushes to rustle; so no matter where we were or how hard we tried, we weren't going to find complete silence. The silence between us was awkward, even if it was required for him to think clearly. "How bad is it?" I suddenly asked.

"What?"

I didn't look at him. "The punishment."

He didn't answer for a while. "It was lighter than I thought it would be."

My head perked. "Seriously?"

He didn't answer again and instead paused, causing me to stop with him. His hand flew to Hyourinmaru and in the blink of an eye, he was drawn. I didn't have to guess twice to know what he was doing. I faced the direction he was facing, trying to control my growing anxiety. "Gina?" I called.

A hulking footstep rattled the ground and leaves crunched. "_You finally came._" It was a dual-voice mixed with both Gina and Juria's. "_Thank… goodness…"_

Toushirou remained rigid, Hyourinmaru gripped tightly in his hands and pointing outwards. He stepped forward. "Takara."

"_I'm sorry I ran away from your friends earlier,"_ they continued, "_but I had to tell you… before we're overcome again…"_

A bush bordering the narrow path was crushed as the unified Hollow bodies of Gina and Juria stepped over them. I had to hold back a gasp.

It was… a monster.

A gargantuan four-legged creature stepped into view, its ivory mask and golden-beaded eyes glowing under the bare sunlight seeping through the trees. It reminded me of one of those demonic dogs you saw off Resident Evil—Yukita's favorite and my nightmare—only much larger. She must have noticed me flinch or freeze or something, but she immediately sat.

"_I'm sorry… Yes, this is what we've become."_ There was sorrow in their tones. "_It took us a while, but we managed to hold off the true monsters in us for just a little while…"_

"Gina," I murmured, wanting to reach to her but afraid to. "Did you want to say something?"

Toushirou remained stationary, ready to move in whenever he needed to.

"_Yes. I came to warn you and Hitsugaya-san,_" they replied. "_I needed to warn you of Yasuo's next move._" I involuntarily held my breath, waiting for her to go on. "_In losing four of his strongest and most effective henchmen, Yasuo is now at a disadvantage. There is now only him and Romeo."_

I nodded with uncertainty. "Yes, I knew that."

Although I knew Gina and Juria meant no harm, I couldn't help but flinch with every sudden move they made. "_Yasuo is becoming mad—insane. It's not just about winning you anymore, Megumi-chan—it's about victory. He refuses to be defeated by the Shinigami and his own Bounto." _There was a pause. "_You do know about the different kind of bites a Bounto can give?"_

I nodded again, ignoring the brief glance Toushirou gave me from the corner of his eye. I told him about it just a couple weeks ago, but he still didn't seem to understand it all yet. That was okay—neither did I. "Yes. One to intake reiatsu, one to inject." As I said that, the realization began to dawn on me. The truth of the plan of Yasuo's hit me so hard that I lost my breath. "You… don't mean that he's—"

"_Yes," _they murmured in sorrowful unison. "_He plans to turn humans into Bounto to replace the henchmen he's lost. They won't be as effective or strong as naturally-born Bounto, but the numbers make up for it."_

I suddenly felt my knees go weak. "Turning… people into… Bounto? Yasuo?"

"When did he plan on doing this?" Toushirou finally spoke up, figuring that I was too at lost for words to think straight. I was grateful.

"_Soon. He hasn't started yet, but soon he's going to be on a nightly prowl around Karakura."_

"Where is he now?" Toushirou continued.

The Hollow shook its head. "I wouldn't know. He's always on the move; it's an hourly thing, now that he's almost on his own again."

"Toushirou," I touched his arm. "He's going to be hunting _people_ from Karakura. Innocent people who don't even know that ghosts are real! We have to stop him!"

He didn't turn to me. "I'm aware of that," he growled through gritted teeth, apparently trying to think. "How long do we have?"

"_My guess is as good as yours, but I'd give you a week, considering he needs some time to… study."_

Study. My blood froze at the word. He was studying people to turn into Bounto. Strong people, fast people, smart people… "He's building his own army."

They nodded. "_We… have told you all we can. We're sorry for all the trouble we've caused you two." _It turned to Toushirou. "_Hitsugaya-san… is it too late to be sent to Soul Society?"_

He shook his head. I didn't realize that I had been squeezing his arm still, and I pulled back in surprise as he sauntered forward. "Thank you, Takara. That helps us out tremendously." He paused a foot away from the Hollow, Hyourinmaru clenched.

"_It's the least we could do._" Gina and Juria glanced to me and then to Toushirou again. "_Good luck._"

Toushirou nodded. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Gina, Juria," I murmured, offering a meek wave. Although I couldn't see it, I knew that there were smiling at me. "Thank you."

I'd never seen Toushirou perform a soul burial before, but it was a surprisingly… calming experience. It was frightening at first, and I almost yelped when he jumped and swung Hyourinmaru down on them in one quick, fluid movement; but as the body of the Hollow glowed, leaving no remnants of it as it traveled up its body before completely disappearing, I felt wonderfully at ease. It was probably because Gina and Juria could finally live in peace in Soul Society, never to have to be bothered by Yasuo or the Bounto again.

And that was what Shinigami did—they send souls and Hollows to Soul Society to no longer be tortured here on earth. What a great way to start out the new year—putting two souls to rest.

"What are you smiling about?" Toushirou snapped, bringing me back down to earth. He was staring at me, Hyourinmaru now sheathed.

"Just admiring your work is all," I shook my head and grinned. "Gina and Juria are finally at peace now. Thanks."

He turned heatedly away and began sauntering back to town. "It's my job. I don't want thanks."

I giggled and followed him. "So, what next?"

"You stay at home while I discuss our next action with my subordinates," Toushirou murmured, arms crossed. "The next several days are going to be stressful, so don't count on seeing me every day."

I tried to hide the disappointment in my eyes and face. "I… expected as much. How are Rangiku and Momo anyway? I haven't seen them at all lately." I asked it in a tone that begged for an explanation.

"They're just busy."

It was hard not to pout, and especially to nod, pretending I understood. But I didn't. Why won't you tell me anything, Toushirou? Ever since then, even when everything became "normal" after Christmas, I've had this unyielding feeling that sometime… sometime soon…

"Toushirou, can you do me a favor?" No, I didn't want to think about it. When a questioning glance was his response, I grinned childishly and brandished my weapon from my pocket. "Can I have a picture with you?" I asked, motioning to my Christmas present equipped in my hand.

His eyes widened. "No."

"Aww, why not?"

"For one thing," he started, looking uncharacteristically nervous. Did he not like pictures? "You wouldn't see me in a picture." Oh yeah. Shinigami. Ghost.

"That's easy—just switch into your gigai!" I countered.

"… No."

"Come on, please?"

"No!"

"Just one picture, I promise!"

"_No!_"

"Please!"

"We're supposed to be figuring out how to hold our own against a horde of newborn Bounto and you want to take pictures?!"

"I just want one picture, Toushirou! I'm not asking for a photo shoot!" Although he very well deserved one, I wanted to add.

"Why?!"

I pouted. "Do I need a reason?! I just want a picture with you!"

He examined the pathetic look on my face for one second, and I could swear he faltered for just that one second before he regained his tough composure and began walking faster. "No!"

"You're no fun!"

"I never claimed to be fun."

My pout deepened, but I was really trying to hide the frown that threatened to spill onto my face. I didn't want to think about it—about the strange feeling that overwhelmed me each day since Saturday, the twentieth.

I couldn't help but feel that Takuya-oji was right—that something big was going to happen very, very soon.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

* * *

**A/N:** Yay, Gina and Juria are finally at peace! It took a while, but they made it. :) Woohoo! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter—I especially liked the bonding moment between Megumi and Takuya. Nothing like familial bonding to make the heart warm! But after that pleasant event, doubts and questions about Toushirou arise: how was he punished? What was his punishment? How will this affect him and Megumi? Why isn't he saying anything to the poor girl? And what's up with Matsumoto and Hinamori? Oh, the suspense!

Find out in the chapters to come! Also, I go back to college in about a week. ): A depressing time for me! Once again (I hate to do this, I _really_ do), Furareta will be on hiatus starting January 19th until May. Yes, for the entire spring semester. I'm so sorry! I may be able to pull a few strings and get a chapter or two in between then, but I wouldn't count on it. I love you guys, I honestly do, but college comes first! Please don't think for one second that I'm abandoning this story, because I most certainly am not!

But I will promise one more chapter (maybe another one, too) before I leave. So look forward to it!

And now, praise for my wonderful reviewers:

**jazzmin92, Sorii., Naishou, SunsetRainbow, 13Lulu's, Sakiru Yume, Lady-Orange-Rin, Kouyan, lill' goddess, ThatKid, Shining Ducky, NeferNeferi, The Disturbing Silence, MidnightDrug, Crunch Berry Baroness, aminea88, Gothic Cinnamon, haipa-chan, FailedWriter, joster13, LadyChaos1011, , dokuki, NiinaKyo, viettvnt, Melodicxstar, -lazy llama-, fanny-kun, indigoia, Kukino3, I'm a Reader, Eryn Goddess of Chaos, -Mistress-Yumi-, SugarLandBabyGirl, Paralysistracks, invisible-gurl, D R A G O N L I L I E S, AkatsukiKandaFangirl, Kosa Kinoshita, HANYAxoo, , haku fan1, Arelissa, Shanni-chan, DanceScreamSing, erina destiny, Seimeii-Chan, Uchiha Sasha, Mina Luriya, Lightshadow17, Hiei's-Dark-Little-Phoenix, NamineNasha, TheKingJingles, hyourin-kusabana, RyuseiStreamGirl, RipplingWater, Jennifer, Pinkatailmon, Megumi Yunai, doubt and trust, Mai, Random Word Writer, Riku727, iv, ember-chan, Shirayuki-chan, KurokamiHaruhi, A.C.E-Samma, Immortal Eden, n a g a s h i . n o . k u r o, HitsugayaFanGirl (nice change in username, by the way ;D), littleva, TideDrop, DustyDoll, THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!**

**Thank you so much for the reviews guys. 74! I love you guys to pieces!**

I hope you all stick with me! I'll see you again in a few days!

-- bayo-bayo, signing out!


	38. Fade to Black

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

I'm sorry to say that this is the last chapter I'm going to be able to post before I leave. ): But hey, I managed to get a lot more chapters than I thought online and got farther in the story than I anticipated… so that's good! :)

I have a lot more to say at the end, but before I tell you to read on, I want to say two things:

1. I forgot to say that, yes, the place Toushirou led Megumi in chapter 36 is the place where he met Karin (again). So those of you who answered that is correct! (ding ding ding!)

2. I'm really, really sorry if the last and the following few chapters remind you of Twilight. I seriously, honestly didn't (and still don't) intend that—and I didn't steal any ideas from Stephenie Meyer, I promise! I respect her too much to do that. ): When I thought of the idea, I knew it sounded like a little excerpt from Twilight, and I did try to think of other things to do other than convert human into Bounto (people who've read Eclipse will know what I'm talking about)—but for the bigger idea that I have in mind for the story, I needed that to be the case. I'm sorry! So if that last chapter and the next couple chapters (including this one) remind you of the Twilight series, forgive me! The rest of the story isn't Twilight at all, I can guarantee you that. :) It's just that the next couple ones _might_ remind you of it (I'm trying hard not to make it sound like Twilight, I promise), and then that'll be it. I swear that it's vital to the storyline. :3

And now with that said, read on!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – E I G H T :**  
_"Fade to Black"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

School started up again, but I barely registered it—even when I was doing homework or slamming my alarm clock each morning. Ever since Gina and Juria broke it to us that there was going to be a very hungry horde of newborn Bounto on the way very soon, the air had been tense and I'd been distracted from everything else but the thought of a Bounto digging its teeth into my neck sometime during the night. Although they gave us about a week or so to prepare for some sort of counter, it's already been almost three weeks—actually, a little over three weeks, and nothing's happened. At least, nothing that I was aware of. I wonder if Yasuo has some other evil scheme up his sleeve. Did he find something else to do? Was he planning some sort of surprise attack? Were we waiting for something that wasn't going to happen? Was the information about the new Bounto false? Had we fallen into a trap?

I almost squeaked when the bell rang me out of my thoughts.

"… and that's what's going to happen this Friday. Don't forget the entrance fee and a sack lunch, everyone!" Kouji-sensei gave us a salute as chairs scraped against the floor, making way for busy and bored students to fly into the hall.

I simply sat there, dazed, wondering what was going on. In front of the classroom, I saw Toushirou smoothly pack his books and saunter out of the classroom, but not without his private little fan club unashamedly stalking him. I sighed into my hand, shoving my books into my bag. That was another thing that was distracting me: Toushirou. And no, not the usual distraction I received because of him.

Looping my bag over my shoulder, I was the last one to make it out of the classroom. "Bye, Kouji-sensei," I said with a small smile.

The man returned my smile, pausing from his erasing the board to say, "Have a good day, Nagasuki. Don't forget about Friday!"

Despite having no idea what was happening Friday, I assured him I wouldn't and stepped into the noisy hallway.

It was hard trying to be cheerful when you weren't. But it's something that I'm working on, and something that I've nearly mastered, to my pride. I had everyone (mostly everyone, anyway) fooled, and sometimes even myself; but even the dumbest person in the world could notice the drastic drop in my expression whenever a certain white-haired Shinigami captain was mentioned. Or whenever any other Shinigami was mentioned, to be honest.

The thing is… Toushirou had invented a whole new level when it came to the cold shoulder.

I don't know what I did to make him mad. I don't know what I'd done to make him act this way. I don't know what I said to make him so cold—but whatever it was, I wish he'd just tell me already.

Okay, let me rewind back to when he sent Gina and Juria to Soul Society—New Years. Everything was peachy then. The week before that had been a little hard and a little questionable, but everything turned out okay. We spent time together, we started acting normally again; and although he never did tell me what happened about the punishment he received about the kiss, I'd learned to deal with it, figuring that he'd tell me when the time was right. Until then, I was enjoying every second I had with him. I was starting to feel that we'd actually become a true-blue couple… or something close to it. Now that he knows that I know that he wears the bracelet I made him, he didn't try to hide it anymore; and after a little persuasion and pathetic begging, I even managed to get a picture with him. I thought everything was going so smoothly, so perfectly…

Until just a couple weeks ago.

At first I thought he had been going through one of his phases again. The infrequent disappearances, the unusual absences, and the untimely visits returned. It was like how it was the days after his birthday, only ten times worse; because when he did visit me, he either A. made it a five-or-less-minute visit, or B. an anti-social visit. When I tried to talk to him, he wouldn't answer me the way I wanted him to. Whenever I asked what was wrong, he wouldn't say anything at all. Whenever I asked if it was in relation to us, he wouldn't answer either. So eventually I just stopped asking him and just left him alone. I had been angry at him at the time, deciding that if he wanted to be that way, then two could act at it.

I expected it to get better… But it didn't. It got worse.

Soon he'd stop visiting me personally altogether. I'd feel his reiatsu lingering around the house—on the roof, for instance—but he'd never drop in to see me. He stopped talking to me, he stopped updating me on Bounto information; he stopped everything. He started coming back to school more than he used to before and made it through the first two weeks back with a perfect attendance. I barely would have noticed, because he never cast me a single glance—not even when we walked right past each other in the hall. And then a week passed without us talking… and now another, this week, is almost passed and we haven't even made eye contact.

And he stopped wearing his bracelet.

I was frustrated, but that wasn't it anymore—I was worried. Very worried. This wasn't like him, not at all.

I found the lunch table I usually sat at, not bothering to trudge up to the roof. Toushirou probably wouldn't be there anyway—he avoided me like the new plague. I dumped the contents of my lunch onto the table—a sandwich, an apple, and a juice box. Typical school lunch.

When I saw Yukita and Riana come towards the table, I quickly changed my face.

"Hey guys!" I chirped as they slid into their seats. "Hikaru decided to skip again?" Usually Hikaru sat with us too, but he had his days when he skipped.

Riana smiled sheepishly. "Of course."

"It's a good thing that guy's a genius; people like me have to have a perfect attendance to get even a B in class!" Yukita sighed, digging into her cafeteria food. "You're smart, too, Ri-chan—why don't you skip on occasion?"

"Because Riana's a good girl," I grinned. I was getting better and better at this acting thing.

Yukita glanced at me as she chewed, and then she swallowed and asked, "Hey, I've noticed something, Megu-chan. You've been sitting with us ever since school started back up."

I took a bite of my sandwich. "Yeah, so?"

The future journalist shrugged, taking another bite of whatever was on her tray. It looked like fried rice… "Well, you were always with Toushirou last semester. It's just… new seeing you at the table again."

I looked down to pretend I was trying to bite into my sandwich again. Crap—she noticed. Count on the reporter to notice these things… "Can't I sit with my best friends once in a while?" I nonchalantly asked, avoiding the curious glance I was receiving from Riana.

"Oh, I'm not saying I don't appreciate it," Yukita quickly retorted, looking honestly innocent. "But two weeks is a long time. Did you two get into a fight?" Despite how many times I've told Yukita that we weren't together or anything, she was honestly convinced that Toushirou and I had something going on in secret.

I couldn't use my sandwich as a distraction anymore—I ate it all. I started on my apple, taking my time in biting into the papery skin. "No, I just thought I'd sit with you guys more this semester, that's all. No big deal—Toushirou can handle it." I almost flinched when I said his name.

Yukita just shrugged, apparently thinking I was crazy for not eating with Toushirou, but I simply shrugged it off and we continued our meal in silence. I tried to direct the conversation in a way that didn't lead to him—like what Kouji-sensei was talking about in History class. Apparently the field trip he had been planning to have with his favorite class since last semester was this Friday; a trip to the better of the two museums in town. It was a slightly expensive trip, but it was worth it, as he assured. I made them elaborate. Once you got Yukita talking, you'd be listening for quite a while. I tried everything to make sure that neither of them knew that something happened between me and Toushirou.

But Riana knew.

She knew that I hadn't been paying attention in History, my favorite class.

She knew that I was crazy about Toushirou, and not eating with him was a very unusual thing.

And she knew that I was avoiding saying anything about him.

Shoot.

* * *

To my immense surprise, Riana didn't say anything to me until the time I got home; and even then, I didn't receive a phone call or a visit or anything. It was unusual, but I welcomed it gratefully. I didn't feel like explaining a very complicated situation or making up a believable lie. Takuya-oji didn't even know that Toushirou and I were necessarily close or that he visited, so I wasn't questioned about that. He did notice that I had been acting distant and distracted lately, but I made the lack of sleep excuse. I hated lying to Takuya-oji—I honestly did. I could tell that he now knew that I was lying, but he still didn't pursue. He was waiting for me to come to him, like what he told me on New Years.

But as trustworthy and loving as he already was without the resolution, could I bring myself to whine to him? I don't whine to people, best friend or not.

I was sitting at my desk jotting down nonsense to finish my Biology homework when I heard a knock on my window. The sound had become so alien to me now that I nearly jumped.

Two weeks wasn't necessarily a long time. But believe me—when you were crazy about someone and they don't talk to you for as long as two weeks, it feels like centuries. And even longer when they pretend you don't exist anymore.

When Toushirou stopped visiting, my window was always closed and I kept the curtains drawn, since I was tired of waiting for him to miraculously show up at my window sill, asking for entrance. Those days were over.

I was almost afraid to see who was there. As much as I wanted to see Toushirou again, I didn't want to talk to him again. So I don't know why I wandered over to my window. But when I pulled back the curtains to peer outside, I received an even bigger shock.

"… Rangiku?" I murmured as I stared wide-eyed at the lovely strawberry blonde's face. She grinned sheepishly at me.

She leaped in after I opened the window. "Long time no see, Megumi-chan," she said, smiling.

I haven't seen Matsumoto Rangiku even longer than I haven't seen Toushirou. It's been, what, like a month since I've even heard from her or Momo? When Toushirou started coming to school again, I expected to see Momo with him; but she was absent. I was starting to think that I never would see them again after all, so I was literally stunned speechless to see her tonight.

"Um, yeah," I stuttered, unsure of what to say. "Long time no see." She kept her composed face and leaned against the window sill, twirling a lock of her rich orange hair. "Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

"No thanks. I can't be long, unfortunately," she grinned, poking her tongue out.

I blinked. "Oh."

There was a moment of silence.

And suddenly, I was engulfed in a warm hug.

"Oh, Megumi-chan, I missed you so much!" Rangiku cried, kneeling down so she could squeeze me. I could barely breathe in her shoulder. "I'm so sorry!"

"R-Rangiku," I sputtered, trying to regulate my oxygen. The hug reminded me of the first hug she ever gave me when I went to their house.

"Sorry," she giggled lightly, pushing me back at half an arm's length. She stared at me as if I had been lost and found again, and the back of one of her hands gingerly brushed my cheek, pushing back the bangs that she had cut herself the night of the Winter Dance. "You haven't changed."

"You expected me to?" I asked, lightly smiling. "What's up?"

Rangiku didn't look like she wanted to answer just yet. "Did, um… did taichou say anything to you? About… about the kiss?" My gaze lowered. She sighed and held my arms firmly. "I'm so sorry, Megumi-chan—we all promised to keep it secret, but Hanatarou accidentally let it slip and it got out and spread and… I'm so sorry."

I nodded understandingly, forcing a smile. "He hasn't told me anything. Should he have?"

She nibbled on her lower lip. "He's going to that field trip on Friday. The one that's going to the museum?" I nodded. "He said he would talk there."

I guffawed. "If he hasn't talked to me in the past two weeks, I have a hard time believing that he'll talk to me Friday—especially if he sent his lieutenant to tell me that rather than himself."

"He'll talk to you Friday," she assured.

I didn't answer. I hugged my arms to myself, looking away. I heard Rangiku sigh and she pulled me towards her again, wrapping her arms around me in another hug—only softer and gentler. I couldn't fight her and I simply breathed into her hair, enjoying the vanilla scent she carried. I couldn't be mad at Rangiku—it was just too hard. Although she was avoiding questions just like Toushirou was, there was something about her touch that told all for me. She couldn't tell me. "I missed you too, Ran," I murmured.

She softly pecked my forehead and smiled, standing up straight. "I have to go now."

I nodded and smiled. "Thanks for coming. Tell Momo I miss her, too."

"I will." Although she didn't say it, I knew I wouldn't be seeing her for a while again.

And with us still exchanging smiles, my "big sister" disappeared.

I stared at the window for a while, watching the outside breeze brush against the curtains. I almost expected Toushirou to come flying through like he used to and completely own my chair. I always expected that whenever the window was open. But I knew he wouldn't, and he didn't. With a sigh I pushed the window closed and leaped into my bed, forgetting my homework.

Was this the "big thing" that Takuya-oji foreshadowed? Toushirou completely ignoring me?

I felt so lost, so… empty. Why did I feel like this? Why did I feel like…

… like Rangiku just said goodbye?

* * *

Friday came so fast that I really didn't remember what happened throughout the rest of the week. I was afraid of today—afraid of what will happen and what won't. Toushirou still hasn't said a word to me about whatever he needed to say; and I had no idea what he wanted to say. What did he need to say to me at a museum that he couldn't tell me in my room? The question plagued me all week, and I was hoping that the days would go by slow—but they didn't, of course. In a snap, Friday was here and we were at the museum.

"Welcome to the Karakura Museum," the tour guide drawled, fixing her tiny spectacles. Her high and squeaky voice reminded me of Kaminari-sensei, so she was easy to drown out.

Like Rangiku said, Toushirou did come—and even as a member of the class. He was dressed in his school uniform and everything. I was afraid of the thought of him talking to me again. I was afraid of what he would say. Knowing my tendencies to overreact, I may as well be fooling myself. Maybe Toushirou wanted to apologize? Maybe he wanted everything to be normal again, like I did? I had to look at this as not only something to fear—it could be a chance to make things right.

This was the perfect chance. Toushirou had been avoiding me like I was the essence of influenza, and he and I both knew it. Heck, even Kaminari-sensei noticed that we weren't together like we usually were. He wasn't fooling anyone. Kouji-sensei had this field trip to the museum perfectly planned and scheduled. I wasn't able to get a private hold of him if he could help it, but he would have no reason not to talk to me today—because even Rangiku said he was going to. And if not, I was going to corner him and ask him exactly what was going on.

The only thing to distract me was, naturally, the museum. After a brief introduction from our tour guide, we were venturing into the history archives and I was lost.

It was no second-floor basement in a house of madness, but it was innocently interesting enough. I loved history, and of course, this place had lots of it. The building itself was about three stories tall, filled with tons of records that I had been dying to see. Even Toushirou ignoring me had been the farthest thing from my mind whenever we were walking around staring at exhibits. When I was scrounging around in awe of different things and leaving annoying handprints on the glass, the silent avoider would be sitting in a corner somewhere trying to look involved, but was rather tinkering with his phone. His lack of enthusiasm for history was a bit frustrating (although he probably lived through and experienced it first-hand), but I decided to let it go.

The time I did look at him, however, was different from before.

Because this time, he looked back—and it made me wish I had never glanced at him in the first place.

After our first eye contact in a couple weeks I gasped and looked away, my heart beating wildly—in fear. Toushirou didn't have the same nonchalant, serious gaze that he usually did—no, he full-out _glared_ at me, with a capital "G." It made me want to burst into tears and fly out of the museum sobbing.

What did I do, Toushirou? I don't understand… why are you so mad at me?

So much for the boldness and optimism. It went right down the drain, thanks to that jerk.

I had been oblivious to what the tour guide had been saying for the past fifteen minutes, but we once again made it to the elevator—it was up to the third floor. And Toushirou still hasn't said _anything_ to me.

He and I stood in opposite corners in the elevator that we all squished in; I was nearest the door, and he was on the whole other end of the spectrum. He wouldn't stop looking at me now—or, rather, glaring at me. Every time I stole a glance, I would see his teal eyes burning into a glare at me. The door slid open and the center portion flew out first, and I was knocked back to the side wall as everyone else flew out. I was probably the last one to get out, and the first thing that caught my eye was exhibits lined with fossils. Thoughts about Toushirou vanished momentarily.

I took my first step out of the elevator.

And I was yanked back in.

Yes, yanked.

It was an easy task to do without much resistance, seeing as I was caught unawares. My clumsy footing ungracefully threw me into the back wall, and I gripped the railing that traveled around the box for balance. With an annoyed growl I was on the verge of voicing offended responses, but when I laid eyes on the aggressor, my expression of irritation quickly altered into that of shock. My cool settled for a second before boiling again. "What's your problem?" I sneered.

Toushirou had his back to me and was pressing the button to shut the door. He made no move to answer me until he hit a random switch. When the elevator jolted to life, he slammed a red button that caused the machine to creak unexpectedly to a halt. I nearly stumbled again. "What is _wrong_ with you?!" I yelled. I suddenly didn't care about being calm and civilized when talking to him anymore. As soon as it was finally just the two of us, the anger that I had been harboring for all that time wanted release. "Who do you think you are?! First you pretend I don't exist for two weeks, next you look at me as if I'm the lowest scum on the planet, and now you grab me and lock me in an elevator?! Stop treating me like I'm some ragdoll! I'm not some toy that you can play with and then ignore whenever you feel like it! If things got rough, you could've just let me know or something instead of flat out ignoring me, you jerk!"

He turned around while I caught my breath. The look in his eyes was still that glowing hatred. It only fueled my anger.

"What did I do to make you so angry at me anyway?! I don't recall ever offending you!"

He didn't say anything.

"Answer me, Hitsugaya! _Now_!"

"It's over, Nagasuki."

I momentarily froze. His voice—it was piercing. Sharper than any sword…

But in a second, I was back. "What are you talking about?! Nothing ever was!" While his voice was calm and controlled, I was loud. I was furious. I couldn't control myself…

"I'm tired of playing games with you," he sighed, leaning against the doors. "Now that we know what Daijiro's next action is going to be, we can finally part ways."

I laughed. I honestly laughed. It was harsh, a bitter laugh—I've never made such a noise before. "That's funny! In case you haven't noticed, that's kind of happened already, I don't know, two weeks ago—when you suddenly decided I didn't exist anymore. Remember?" I glared at him. "What exactly did I do anyway, huh? Why don't you enlighten me, because apparently I'm oblivious."

He didn't look amused. The expression on his face didn't change. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, for one thing," he started. "You exist."

Involuntarily, I flinched. But I couldn't show weakness. "Oh, so now you acknowledge I exist?"

"I've acknowledged many things about you," he continued, never taking his eyes off me. "Because you exist, you've endangered many people. Because you exist, Daijiro is about to kill dozens of those innocent people. Because you exist, everyone you come into contact with is in danger."

Bang, bang, bang.

Without even realizing it, he broke through my rage and my anger, revealing an expression that I couldn't name. All I knew was that I was being ground, deeper and deeper, into the floor as he rattled off different things that I had been at fault for, and I couldn't deny. My breathing became labored, my heart beat faster and faster—and he relentlessly, ceaselessly continued.

"Because of you, your uncle is in danger of dying."

I trembled. I grabbed onto the railing for support.

"And because of you," he paused to give me a glare that ripped me up one side and down the other, "your sister _is_ dead."

That did it.

The foundation I had built—the foundation that had been erected to keep me from falling since Metsuki's death, my self-consciousness—crumbled.

He saw the helpless expression on my face. "So, obviously, your existence has caused nothing but trouble. I'm sure that if I stayed around you long enough, I would end up dead too."

"You," I choked. I wasn't crying—I was at a loss for words. I could barely see—I could barely comprehend where we were. "You're… no, you're lying. You don't mean that, Toushirou. You said—"

"Everything I said to you was a lie, idiot. I'm lucky you were so easy to… convince. You trusted me so easily. I told you you'd regret it." He shook his head and took one step towards me—then another, and another. I was backed up into the wall with no escape, staring up at the Shinigami. "It's over, Nagasuki. I had been under orders to keep you safe and be your friend up until now to make sure you didn't convert to your friends' side, but it's no longer needed. So before your luck somehow ends up killing me, I'm leaving."

I shook my head. "You're lying. You're lying… You're lying!"

He rolled his eyes. "It's your own fault."

"But you… Then why did you kiss me?" I asked, staring up at him. "You wouldn't have done that if you—"

He scoffed. "If I what? Liked you? If I had feelings for you? Don't be ridiculous, Nagasuki. You're a nice human, I'll give you that—throwing me a party on my birthday. I only thought I'd thank you just that once."

"But Rangiku—"

He sighed. "I've been nice to you, Nagasuki. I've saved your memories that you so persistently wanted to keep. I've saved your life on numerous occasions. I've looked out for you to make sure you're alive every night," he continued, each phrase beating me farther and farther into the ground. "But I've had enough. Keeping one worthless human alive at the risk of many others is a waste of time and effort. And now that it's no longer needed, I'm done being your friend."

I didn't notice my tears until they began to fall. "Done…? Being my friend?" I repeated, the only weak sentence I could murmur. "You mean it?"

Toushirou's eyes didn't soften as he replied, "Yes."

My heart shattered. That was the only way I could describe it. The feeling was like torture. I had to keep holding onto the railing behind me to keep from crumpling to the floor. "All this time…" I whispered, my unfocused gaze on the ground. "After all this time, you want to end it, just like that…? What about everything we've been through? After everything we've experienced, learned? I… I thought we were—"

"Friends? Don't make me laugh," he mocked, crushing me even more. I've never seen him so brutal, so cold. Could this really be Hitsugaya Toushirou? "You were never more than unwanted baggage to me."

My worst fear was manifested right there, in that exact moment.

I was unwanted baggage—an unwanted burden.

I stared helplessly downwards. I didn't want to meet his eyes. The eyes full of hatred, annoyance, malice—towards me. The tears fell in larger numbers.

"This is where we part ways. For good," he said. "Go live your life like a real human should—oblivious to everything." He stepped back again to lean on the doors once more, looking at my downtrodden form. "Just think: when you die, you'll forget all about me and 'everything we've been through.' You'll forget everything—that we were 'friends,' that I ever kissed you, that you ever kissed me, and that I ever existed. That's something to look forward to. If you want, you can go ahead and retract that promise you made me make now."

The promise that he'd still be my friend when I died—that's what he was talking about.

I swallowed hard, and muttered something.

He lifted a brow. "What?"

"No," I said. "I… I don't want to forget you."

His brows knotted together. "Nagasuki, I've never been your friend. I've lied to you this entire time. Do you think I would break the rules on purpose—for you? The only reason you still remember me now is because of that stupid promise."

"I don't care," I murmured. "I don't care whether you're lying, telling the truth, playing a joke on me, or whatever. I don't regret meeting you, Toushirou."

He rolled his eyes.

I was worthless to him. He didn't want me anymore—no, he _never_ wanted me. I've been extra baggage to him all this time—an unwanted, persistent pest. I didn't look up at him. I couldn't. I couldn't let him see me like this, in such a pathetic and weak reaction to his verbal thrashing. My body shook violently, and my fists seemed like they were molded into the rail I was gripping so hard. What hurt the most was that he was being serious. He wasn't being sarcastic; he wasn't playing a sick joke on me. This was the real deal. I knew his serious and sarcastic voice. My lips quivered, and the tears hastened their progress. I was a mess already, and he wasn't even gone yet.

I bit back a gasp. It sounded like a small choke.

Toushirou was going to leave me. "For good" he says. And what he says, he means. My head and heart throbbed with so many emotions that I just began talking—talking before I would never see him again. I wasn't angry, I wasn't frustrated, and I wasn't confused right now. No; right now, as I stand here, I still…

I was still whole-heartedly, unconditionally…

"You know," I started, trying to settle my shaking voice to something coherent. "When I first saw you, I honestly hated you. You looked arrogant and proud. You were perfect at everything I wasn't, and even more so at everything I was. You made me feel insignificant, like a little speck in this world. You were popular, calm and collected, warmly welcomed, and absolutely gorgeous." I paused. "… But then, I felt drawn to you—drawn to you like a moth to the flame, and I didn't know why. You told me what you were, bringing my bed time fairytales to life. And then—I was friends with a Shinigami." Toushirou's gaze was immutable, drawn into that hard glare.

"Through all the hardships I've been through, you were there. Through everything I dreaded most, you were there. Through loss, disappointment, sadness, happiness—you were there to experience it with me. When I lost Metsuki, I really thought I was going to lose myself to the anguish, but you held me up. You helped me walk again. You were like a guardian angel… my own, personal guardian angel." I gazed up at him. "I didn't deserve it, or you—and especially not together."

His expression didn't change, but he continued to listen to me, ever so silently.

"It didn't take me long to realize something that would change me forever," I said, laughing. It was a choking sound, mixed with tears. "We spent time together. We hung out. We talked, walked, and even… kissed. I loved every moment of it. Every second, every insult, every kind of-smile, every touch… They all were special. And pretty soon, even before that, you were no longer just a Shinigami to me. You were more than that. You were more than my guardian angel. You were more than my friend."

I dropped my gaze again so I wouldn't see his nonchalant expression. "I tried to control it. I tried to convince myself that it was futile and stupid and that I would only end up getting hurt…"

There was silence, and I bit my lip. I couldn't get nervous—it was now or never.

"But soon, it all didn't matter anymore." I said it lighter than I expected, and threw my arms out carelessly with a watery smile. I looked at him, maintaining the same smile to his hard glare. "Nothing mattered anymore." I grinned and shook my head. "Because… I love you, Toushirou." I sighed as a thousand-pound burden was pulled off my chest. "That was more than enough for me. It was worth the pain and the sorrow." I took a trembling hand and held it over my throbbing heart. "And I still do. I… I truly, honestly do—so much."

Toushirou didn't look at me for a few seconds. He slammed a button on the side, causing the elevator to rumble back to life again. "Is that all?" he quietly asked.

I felt the tears again and only nodded.

The elevator stopped on the floor the class was currently on. "From now on, I don't know you."

I nodded again, choking back sobs. "Thank you for everything, Toushirou."

The doors slid open. Toushirou stepped out, and I saw the last glimpse of his face that I'd ever see again—the expression of nonchalance, what I'd expected after my confession. "Goodbye, Nagasuki."

He took one turn… and was gone. His reiatsu disappeared.

I crumpled to the floor, dazed, numb, and sobbing—

"Megumi? Megumi!" It was Hikaru and Riana. I could feel their arms wrap around me, shake me; and they were apologizing, demanding what happened—

—and my world faded to black, with his words still ringing in my ears:

"_Goodbye, Nagasuki."_

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

* * *

**A/N:** GAH PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. D: I really, honestly hate leaving you guys with this… but it seemed appropriate! Because obviously Toushirou's gonna be gone for a while and Megumi's going to be… well… sulking in a corner somewhere for a while. So you can say that for the fourteen weeks I'll be gone (until I come home for summer), that's how long Toushirou's gone and how long Megumi has to suffer. I know the sudden switch in moods must've given you whiplash, but just think—I'm nearly three quarters of the way finished! With the entire story! Isn't that amazing?

I remember in the younger chapters of Furareta I was thinking up these "future" scenes, including this one, that I wanted to add the story someday. I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it this far. I thought I would've quit a long time ago—but no, the ideas came to life and I'm continuing, all thanks to you guys and your love and support. I love you guys to death, and I definitely don't take a single one of you for granted! Some of you have been reading since I first published Furareta, and some of you have recommended this story to your friends and now they read it; and with the more chapters I posted, more people began to get attracted and here we are, with more than half of the story done and over 1550 reviews! That, my friends, is a lot for a canonxOC story—and the thanks goes to you! The feeling is overwhelming! You guys are so wonderful! :)

Oh, and by the way, to make up for having to leave this chapter with you guys for three and a half months—I decided to let you know that there will be a sequel to Furareta, and I'm already in the process of forming ideas for it. So the Toushirou and Megumi legacy is far from over, my friends!

I'm anticipating about 55-60 chapters in all, so about 17-22 more chapters left for Furareta. Look forward to it! I might even finish it in the summer! :)

And now, onto acknowledging my awesome reviewers:

**Rippling Water, Cindy (Melodicxstar), joster13, AkatsukiKandaFangirl, Crunch Berry Baroness, Sorii, aminea88, indigoia, D R A G O N L I L I E S, 13Lulu's, n a g a s h I . n o . k u r o, , viettvnt, LadyChaos1011, haipa-chan, ember-chan, Shrouded in the shadows, Slothy Girl, Seimeii-Chan, I'm a Reader, hitsugayaXOX, dokuki, Naruto-Lover227, RyuseiStreamGirl, Kukino3, Ehryn Goddess of Chaos, jazzmin92, Kosa Kinoshita, pinkatailmon, x3Psychosis, SunsetRainbow, erina destiny, lill'goddess, KurokamiHaruhi, littleva, Naishou, Mai, haku fan1, NamineNasha, Megumi Yunai, Sakiru Yume, The Disturbing Silence, Wolf-and-the-moon, ai-bleach, HANYAxoo, Kouyan, sAppHiRa-hiMe, fanny-kun, Immortal Eden, HitsugayaFanGirl, Zafo, hyourin-kusabana, Uchiha Sasha, A.C.E-Samma, NiinaKyo, Clair, Hiei's-Little-Dark-Phoenix, NeferNeferi, iv, Shanni-chan, TheKingJingles, NAME, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**Thank you so much for your reviews and encouragements and messages to me! You have no idea how much each and every one means to me. I love you all to pieces!**

I'm so sad that I won't be able to talk with you guys for a while now, but they do say that absence makes the love grow stronger… :) Thank you guys so much, again.

I really will try to get chapters up during the semester, but it's very unlikely. I'm sorry!

I'll miss you all! Please don't forget about me or this story—because it's coming back all summer! Eternal love!

Have a GREAT semester!

-- b a y o – b a y o!


	39. Secret Rain Drops

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* * *

**

B A Y O – B A Y O :

I'm back, and officially a sophomore in college! That was a crazy year, but I'm done—and I'll be here until September!

Thank you guys SO much for continuing to support me and Furareta for all the time I've been gone! You are all so amazing—the best reviewers on ! I'm so lucky to have been able to catch you guys! :) I know you guys have been waiting for another chapter, and I am here with one! So I'll cut the small talk (I'll save that for after the chapter) and let you guys read!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER T H I R T Y – N I N E :**  
_"Secret Rain Drops"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Te wo Tsunaide" by Younha_

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I've been so busy lately; this week went by so fast because there was so much I had to do! You know how the last couple weeks of school seem to just drag by? That wasn't the case this year; everything went by so fast. The student council had a lot of things to take care of before the semester ended, so I've been up and about for the past three weeks trying to get things done on time. There were errands to run, parties to host, graduation to plan, papers to write and finals and the end of the year banquet above all that! It was a crazy week, to say the least. But as of yesterday, the year ended and summer began, and time screeched to a halt. The serenity of things was so unexpected that it almost gave me whiplash; I woke up this morning at six o'clock thinking I was going to be late for school!_

_I know summer has just started, but I'm already starting to think about high school in the fall. I'll be moving up to Karakura High School, no longer a pipsqueak junior high kid. That's another crazy thought… Geez, the time really does go by so fast—like a vapor. I'll be an old granny with twenty grandkids and fifteen cats before you know it!_

_Hikaru and Riana have already begun to schedule my—uh, our—summer. This week already looks promising; there's supposed to be a town fair for three days and we're planning on being there for the whole of it. I'll need to start applying for jobs or something sometime during the week because I refuse to sit at home doing nothing, and Takuya-oji and I are plotting a father-daughter vacation sometime next month… There's so much to do! How am I going to fit it all in one summer?_

_In the last day of class, Kouji-sensei asked us a question that really got me thinking: "What will be your ultimate goal to accomplish before the end of the summer?" It was a question I couldn't answer immediately, and all of us were silently stunned. It's like he's asking us to make a second new year's resolution. I'm still trying to think of something important enough to resolve to do, but until then, I'll have to keep you posted. But speaking of resolutions… I never did tell you what my new year's resolution was, right? I think it's actually kind of stupid but it's…_

_Nah, I'll tell you some other time. I'm hungry—I'm going to go scramble up some eggs._

_Until next time,_

_Megumi_

_

* * *

_

Trot, trot, trot, trot, trot—almost there!—trot, trot, trot, trot.

Trip.

"Ugh!"

Slam. I rubbed my forehead and reached for the knob of the door I crashed into. Maybe if I twisted it fast enough and pretend that nothing had happened…

"Where are you going, young lady?"

I banged my throbbing forehead into the door, defeated. "Aw, junk," I murmured under my breath. "I'm going to Hikaru and Riana's?"

Takuya-oji sniffed at my uncertain tone. "Not sure where you're going, huh?"

Double junk. I was caught—no, wait; there was still a chance… "You know, it's such a nice day outside," I said, glancing over my shoulder. Takuya-oji's wire-rimmed glasses stared back at me over the top of the newspaper he was reading. "I thought it was perfect weather for taking a little walk… the usual, visit the town and see the sights, catch up on what's going on…"

"Uh-huh."

Okay, no more chances.

"I'll be back before dusk!" I offered.

"Have you been reading the news lately?" he responded, shaking the paper he held in his hands. "You _have_ been keeping yourself updated, right?"

Looks like I wasn't going out any time soon. I dejectedly released the doorknob, waiting for a fifteen-minute talk as soon as I asked the stimulating question, "Has there been another one?"

"Last night." His voice was solemn.

He shifted slightly as I sat next to him on the couch, and I leaned over to read the head article for the day. I perused the first time, caught the gist of the news, and read it over again slowly. The frown on my face deepened.

'_Shirotaka Yuu, 18, was reported missing this morning. Shirotaka attended a senior graduation party the night prior, leaving to a friend's house at eleven o'clock that night after graduation ceremony. The host claims that he never made it to the party and the mother says that he has been gone all night, and has been gone up until the morning. Police officials are searching the streets and inquiring the locals.'_

"That's terrible," I murmured, skimming it over again a third time. "How many has it been? It started just three weeks ago, right?"

"This would be the third one," Takuya-oji replied. "A new one each week."

It never really occurred to me that the streets are in danger; I've been too busy planning for graduation that I didn't have time to think about it. The disappearances started three weeks ago, right when the semester was at its climax. Naturally I would have been terrified to leave my house after reading it, but I was so scatter-brained that I went on with my ways normally. The next week, there was another disappearance. I still ignored it, not really registering the danger—and then there was this one. The realization began to dawn on me.

I should have been used to this bizarreness, but the shock still got me every time. The one thing each victim had in common was that they were young—students, all in high school. The first was a girl in her first year in high school, the second was a guy in his third; and this one, Shirotaka, was a graduate. The disappearances have all been at night, after ten o'clock, and it usually occurs on a Friday or weekend night.

My brows furrowed. I had my suspicions, but they couldn't be voiced just yet.

"These kids are all around your age, Megumi-chan—I don't want to take any chances." He took one look at my protesting face and continued, "Yes, I know it's brighter than day outside, but you never know. Please cooperate with me, Megumi-chan; stay inside today."

Despite how much I wanted to argue with him, his expression made me give up. He had mastered the puppy dog look and rendered me helpless. I tried to mask my disappointment as I nodded obediently. "Okay, I'll stay here today."

He ruffled my hair and stood up. He folded the paper and tossed it onto the table. "Okay then. I'm going to work." He tucked his reading glasses into his shirt pocket and gave me a look. "I mean it, kid—if I see your face in the headlines tomorrow, I will kill you after I find and kill your kidnapper. Got it?"

I grinned sheepishly and saluted. "Yes sir."

* * *

As soon as I heard the doorbell, I leaped up and answered it. "Hello?"

Hikaru strolled in like he owned the place. "Howdy!"

Riana followed in suit, rolling her eyes after her brother. She plopped onto the couch and I sat across from her in Takuya-oji's favorite chair. Hikaru walked right into the kitchen—or the refrigerator, specifically—to help himself to our food. "I'm glad your uncle got protective about you wandering around; it is pretty dangerous outside," Riana said, perusing the newspaper.

"What's happening exactly, Riana?" I asked, leaning forward in my chair in anticipation. "Is it the Bounto?"

It had been my primary intention to pay the Minamoto siblings a visit today for this sole reason. But because Takuya-oji practically begged me to stay indoors, I resorted to summoning them through phone. I was ninety-five percent sure that the disappearances had something to do with the Bounto, and if it wasn't them then it was a rogue group of Hollows. Except for the animal Hollow, though, the creatures were pretty stupid. Intimidating and devastatingly powerful or not, their heads were void of any intelligent life.

"We're not with Yasuo anymore, so we know as much as you do now," Riana replied with a sigh.

Hikaru strolled towards us, a big bag of potato chips cradled in his arm. "I bet everything that the psycho's got something to do with it, though. It's pretty obvious. He wouldn't let some power besides him terrorize people." He sank next to his sister and shoved some Lays into his mouth. "He probably has Romeo doing the kidnapping."

"He's the only one left, anyway," Riana added. "Damien's gone and Hikaru, Mimi and I left."

My ears perked and my expression became wary. "Speaking of Mimi… How is she doing?"

Riana paused thoughtfully. "That's actually a really good question. I'm not very sure."

Before I could ask, Hikaru explained, "She hasn't been around lately. She still stays with us in the forest, but only to sleep. At the crack of dawn, she's gone, and she doesn't come back until really late at night. She goes to the same place every time, but we don't really feel the need to spy on her…" With a shrug of his broad shoulders he added, "She seems fine though."

That was confusing. "Where does she go?"

"It's kind of funny, actually," Hikaru said.

"The candy shop," Riana finished.

I blinked. "You mean Kisuke's shop?"

"Weird, huh?" Hikaru asked, stretching. "I don't worry about it because it's Urahara and his crazy crew, but I am pretty surprised that she'd be hanging out with them."

"Every single day?" They nodded. "Since when?"

Riana pursed her lips. "Hmm… We started noticing sometime in January, a little after—" She cut herself off, eyes wide. They fell to the table. "Yeah. Sometime in mid-January."

I gave her a small smile, immediately understanding. "No, it's okay. A little after he left?"

I ignored the glare Hikaru was giving his sister as she replied, "Yes, about a day or so afterward."

"Almost four months, then." I tried to keep my face even, but I wasn't sure how well I was faring. "That's interesting… Well, at least she's healing up."

Riana frowned. "I'm sorry Megumi-chan, I didn't mean to bring him up…"

"Riana…" Hikaru hissed, nudging her side. She flinched.

I closed my eyes for a brief second. Apparently my poker face wasn't very effective. "It's fine, guys. Do you know if the Shinigami are doing anything?"

"They don't like us, so we don't have contact with them. Therefore, we have no idea." Hikaru scowled. "I hate being out of the loop. I feel so useless."

"Their reiatsu is here though, so they must be trying to do something," Riana offered, shrugging. "Hikaru and I thought about taking some night shifts next week to see if we can catch someone, but if the Shinigami found us hanging around town at night…"

I laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah, that wouldn't go over well," Hikaru laughed along. "So we're just staying updated with the news, like you are."

"I guess that's all you can do," I said with a shrug.

Hikaru sat the bag of chips next to him and stood, stretching. "Sorry we don't have anything… We're trying, honestly."

I nodded. "I know."

Because of "other business" they had to attend to, their visit was short; and after a little more small talk I was left alone in the house, imprisoned to house arrest on a bright and sunny day.

I stared out the window, saw all the kids running around and having fun, and sighed.

This was going to be a cruddy day.

I ended up wasting the day away with the piano, internet, and television, all of which were unsatisfactory in my quest for amusement. I wasn't in the piano mood, my internet was acting up (at least, I _think_ it was acting up), and there was nothing good on TV. So now I was sitting on the couch like a lump on a log, defeated. The noise of life beyond these walls resounded through the windows, all calling my name to come join them—and I had to reluctantly turn away from each beckon to honor my uncle's wishes. Curses.

I glanced at the clock. Takuya-oji would be coming home soon. The sun was beginning to sink back behind the mountains and the echo of activity began to die outside; and it wasn't until I began to listen to the quieting noise outside that I felt it.

Reiatsu—right outside my door.

I jumped up, startled by sudden wave of spirit energy that had evaded my senses. There was no way that I wouldn't have been able to feel that. It must have been hidden. But how long have they been standing there? They were literally right outside. And what did they want? Who was it? It wasn't anyone I recognized…

With peculiar curiosity I stumbled towards the door, uncertain as to whether I should open it or not. I reached for the doorknob, my hand hovering over it—

And then there was the sputtering of an engine that I immediately recognized as Takuya-oji's car.

In a flash, the reiatsu disappeared, and when I opened the door, I saw Takuya-oji stepping out of his car, waving at me.

* * *

I had a dream that night—the same dream that had been plaguing me since January.

It started out as a pointless collage of scenes and voices, like most dreams are. Every other night or two nights the dream would repeat, and eventually it would add onto itself; it was like an addition of a chapter to a story, even if it was just another purposeless picture. It continued on like that until I could recite the dream line by line, image by image, and voice by voice as it replayed and continued, as if someone was telling me a story.

The dream was most effective and vivid on a stormy night, when rain was pounding against the roof and window and thunder was crashing. As sensitive as I was to noise when sleeping, though, I never woke up. My dream had to finish before I could open my eyes.

And tonight it happened again—I was having the same pointless, purposeless dream.

I was standing in a place that I didn't recognize. It was a dark, rough, rural terrain with low-sloping hills, arranged in an irregular pattern. There was no grass, no lake, and no plants—but I wasn't in a desert, either. It was just a desolate, empty plain. Night enveloped the scene, coloring the ground and sky a marvelous midnight; the cold glow of the moon left a sliver of silver light glimmering on the ground. The night was still, the picture dark and abstract…

And then it started raining, soaking the image with heavy, yet silent drops. Thunder roared and lightning flashed, illuminating the empty plain. Dark storm clouds moved to conceal the moon and hide the stars.

"_Little girl…"_

The voice was deep and reverent, echoing loud and clear despite the falling rain and the clapping thunder.

"Who are you?" I would ask. "Are you talking to me?"

The lightning flashed again, and in the distance, a figure was standing still.

"_Can you hear me?"_ it asked.

"Yes… who…?" I would strain to hear and see.

With another flash, the figure was closer—and I could make it out. It was an animal… an animal that existed only in fairytales. An animal towering above me, colored in a glowing white; a mane matching the tint of snow; and a long, twisting horn that was dipped in a shocking gold, resembling the flash of lightning and the glow of thunder.

And then the new chapter of my dream unwrapped when I could put a name to it: a unicorn.

"Who are you?" I asked as I squinted my eyes to see.

"_I've been waiting…"_

The crash of the thunder stirred me from my sleep, although I wasn't sure if it was the thunder outside or the thunder in my dream. I stared out at the window with wide eyes, my hand flying to my chest—and there I found my heart beating wildly, warmer than it had ever been before.

And there I would lie, wide awake, until the approach of dawn broke over the mountains.

Flipping on the lamp light, I grabbed my diary and a pen.

_Dear Diary_,

_Hey it's me again. Thanks to that stupid dream, I'm once again stuck sitting here until morning. I don't know what's going on with me. I've had recurring dreams, but none like this before. I hope it goes away soon; it's throwing me off my internal time clock. It's about four o'clock right now; fourteen-year-olds are usually asleep at this time, and I'm not usually the exception. Thank goodness it's summer!_

_I had another addition to my dream tonight. The thing standing with me in the plain was a unicorn—and it said that "it's been waiting." I have no idea if I'm doing anything to affect my dreams, but I'm really watching what I eat now. Maybe it's because of the rain that the dream was… weirder. It always gets like that when there's a thunderstorm. The scenes just seem to come alive, as if I were actually there—crazy, huh? This is a random thunderstorm though, because it was a beautiful day today._

_I thought about telling Riana and Hikaru about it, but I don't want to worry them. They're already worried about me enough as it is. Takuya-oji would just think I was going insane. So I guess that just leaves me with you…_

Lightning flashed again, followed by a loud clap of thunder. I stared thoughtfully at the window for a moment, listening to the pounding of rain against the glass; and I reached into my nightstand drawer to grab my book light. Bundling it and my diary close, I tossed the covers off and quietly tiptoed over to the wide window sill to claim it as my seat. For comfort's sake I grabbed one of my pillows and sat on it. I toyed with my book light to make sure it still worked and clipped it onto my diary.

_I used to hate rain and thunder, but for some reason I don't really mind it anymore. Ever since I found out that Yasuo was the true cause of my parents' deaths, my hatred for it began to die. The loud thunder, the bright lightning, the pattering rain—it all turned into something soft and soothing to me, especially on nights like these. With the rain came memories… most of which were things that should be forgotten, but forbidden to be._

_For example…_

I paused there, my pen pressed against the paper to continue. I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking, before completing the entry.

… _Never mind. I guess there's nothing else to say… I'm too lazy and tired to keep writing._

_Love,_

_Megumi_

I snapped the book close, turned off the light, and hugged it to my chest, my gaze still locked out the window. My eyes had adjusted to the dark night and I could make out the buildings, the street, light posts, the raindrops smacking the window, and the bright moon shining in the menacing sky.

It was a dangerous thing for me to be staring out like this—especially by myself. When I was left to myself, my thoughts roamed and my mind subconsciously wandered, recalling things and scenes that I had forbidden myself to see again. It was easy to be happy and energetic and carefree when I was in the presence of other people—I had mastered my happy face quickly to save others some grief. It had become a habit for me to "think happy thoughts" during the day, when I was too busy to let myself think.

It was on nights like these—nights where I was alone and when the bright and optimistic sun wasn't shining—that I had become vulnerable.

Despite the fact that I was positive that no one would witness me like this, I was still careful; wrong thoughts at the wrong times could have prolonged consequences. However, I couldn't help but wonder back to that day… the day where my life had once again changed, and where the reason of my existence disappeared.

"Today… it's been exactly four months," I mused absently. How is he doing? What is he doing? Where is he?

Does he ever think about me?

I had become so numb to the pain of the hole in my chest that I didn't realize how much it hurt until I felt my own rain drops fall to my lap. My hiccups echoed the crashing thunder and I had to slap myself before I became out of hand.

Why do I do this to myself, I would often wonder. The answer was simple.

I was selfish.

I knew there was no hope. I knew that I would never see him again, never be able to fall under his gaze again; never be able to embrace his warm body or laugh at his somber glares. Never again could I get lost in the reflections of his beautiful teal eyes, hear the melodic chime of his voice…

But it was because of that that I was able to go on with life—the fact that he was still there somewhere, and there was a cause for my pain.

Because he lives… I live.

The relentless rain and thunder prolonged the night, its power enforced with my own rain drops and echoing thunder. The pounding of my heart illumined the unconditional passion that was still there, the lingering and futile hope that maybe someday, somewhere—

I would see him again.

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_Ending Theme__: "Bon Bon" by Hey! Say! 7_

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**A/N:** Oh my goodness, it's so good to be back. As you can see, I'm a little rusty with my writing… but I'll be bouncing back in no time. I missed you guys so much! I'm glad to be home! :) College was a lot of fun, even as a freshman—a 17-year-old freshman! It was a lot of fun being known as the baby around campus…

But anyway, back to the story.

I plan to finish Furareta this summer, and the first chapter of the sequel by Christmas or next summer. Whether things will go as planned or not is beyond me, but I will fight to do so! So expect a little faster updates from me!

So yeah… my reviews. I come back to find that Furareta has over 1700 reviews and 101 of them for chapter 38 alone! **Oh my goodness**! What a delightful shock! I love you guys so much—it's your encouragement and never-ending support that keeps this story going! Furareta would be no more without you all!

So with no further do, I'll give a special shout-out to all my lovely reviewers personally:

**Mournful Storms, -lazy llama-, Sorii, Sakiru Yume, dragonfly94, I'm a Reader, viettvnt, Megumi Yunai, indigoia, haku fan1, Naruto-Lover227, NeferNeferi, 13Lulu's, HANYAxbrando, , My Ashland, Dragon of Twilight, Zafo, sAppHiRa-hiMe, fanny-kun, The Rain Collector, Gwenny-Dear, RyuseiStreamGirl, Kukino3, D R A G O N L I L I E S, jazzmin92, Eryn Goddess of Chaos, Demented Cloud, n a g a s h i . n o . k u r o, Miyukiume Tamiko, Kosa Kinoshita, pinkatailmon, Tateno Atsukino, Minako, Shining Ducky, hyourin-kusabana, SunsetRainbow, lill'goddess, Mai, ThatKid, NamineNasha, Kouyan, Crunch Berry Baroness, Arelissa, Uchiha Sasha, haipa-chan, FailedWriter, ember-chan, Mari Ferolla, Rippling Water, Melodicxstar, AkatsukiKandaFangirl, KurokamiHaruhi, insert-silly-name-here, Kisekikui, flora236, Nagase Kaede, Naishou, Riku727, aminea88, dokuki, hannah elizabeth, Seimeii-Chan, aoitsuki77, erina destiny, raye, Immortal Eden, Starrysnow, TheKingJingles, iv, Lightshadow17, kimianime, frozen ice cream, Arin-chan, tanrei, darklightningdevil, Random Word Writer, Cheri, HistugayaDream, niki-niki, The Psychotic Cherry Blossom, Mizu10, archerrylime, steel-alchemist, ., Satupilvi, Kaze Maiden, Everlasting Wonders, Sokuryokudo Kyoutenddouchi, ShadowedComplexity, crystalstar83, zeratheliger, Ikara-o-Kage, Mochakitty123, Raine2000, The Anonymous Authoress, Claamchowder, xXxAiriinxXx, Julie, HeadstrongNozomi, Soup, THANK YOU SO MUCH! **

**Man that's a lot of bold.**

I love you guys! I'll be updating soon hopefully! I love you all, and words can't express my thanks for your support!

Signing out,

Bayo-bayo!


	40. Determination

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

So this wasn't what I had in mind for a fast update… Haha, sorry for the wait everyone! :) Here's another chapter for you. A little longer this time by like 1000 words, so hopefully that makes it up. Thank you for all your support and reviews and love and everything else that makes this authoress feels absolutely amazing! You guys are awesome!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y :**  
_"Determination"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

A day passed. Two days passed. Five days passed. Two weeks passed.

And finally, at the beginning of the third week, I had had enough.

The stupid unicorn—a _unicorn_, of all fantasies! What am I, five?—continued to plague my dreams, and each night as the story built upon itself, the intensity of it did as well. With each passing slumber, the dream, or vision, or whatever the heck it was, only got deeper and deeper and more realistic as it went along. It didn't even need a thunderstorm to seem more real to me anymore; every night was an adventure so strong that it was almost a hallucination, as if I was really there in the presence of something so… unreal.

After the first week was when I seriously thought I needed professional therapeutic help. I started to hear voices.

They were just little noises at first; it came to me first as a hum, or an inaudible murmur. I brushed it off as nothing for the first few days, thinking that it was because I haven't been getting enough normal sleep. But then as half of that week passed and the dreams continued, the voices soon became one voice—one clear, recognizable voice that I tagged as the forsaken unicorn in my dreams. It was then that it started bugging me not only in my own little kingdom of sleep, but when I was very much wide awake. The first thing coherent thing it said when I was awake was: "You need help."

And me, not being in the right state of mind then (I think I had just gotten out of bed or something), answered: "You got that right."

Insanity had never felt so normal.

Talking to "myself" had become a habit from then until now. I was the only one who could hear it! So often I would ask where it had come from and what it wanted, disregarding the fact that I was making conversation with an unseen being—and that if people witnessed this odd sight, it wouldn't be far from them to think I was possessed. For all I knew, it could be the Devil himself. Why was I taking this so lightly? That's the crazy part…

I'm kind of used to it now. When that became apparent, I knew that I needed professional help. I didn't know what I did or what incantation I unknowingly uttered to attract this… _thing_ to me, but whatever it was, I wanted it reversed. I'm only fourteen; I'm too young to be hearing voices, and much less talking back to them! But then the question of where I would get this much needed help popped up. I couldn't exactly set up an appointment at the doctors without having them send me to the mental ward. I didn't feel comfortable calling a medium, because I didn't want to be treated as a demon-possessed child. A therapist would send me to the asylum. Riana and Hikaru… for some reason, I didn't want to tell them. They still worried too much about me and I didn't want them coming up with over four hundred possible identities for this single voice and testing them out. I laughed out loud when I thought about telling Takuya-oji.

But as I sat in my room (in peace and quiet, for once—the voice liked to talk) one afternoon, thinking over what steps I should take, one thought and solution came to mind.

I was hearing a voice in my head that only I could hear. When I was brainstorming one day upon the possible identities of this thing, gathering the ideas that came to mind that branched from that statement, a crazy thought struck me—a guess that was outrageous, but at the moment made the most sense.

Which brings me to where I am now: Kurosaki Ichigo's house.

The weekly kidnapper took a break last week, so it was easier to convince Takuya-oji to let me get outside.

I don't know why I thought of Ichigo, but I think this is probably one of best ideas that I've had in a long time—and I couldn't remember the last time I had one. Out of everyone that I knew, I could relate to Ichigo the best. He was a normal human with unusually high reiatsu that ultimately ended up in him getting involved with the Shinigami and becoming a Shinigami himself. It was kind of like my life; I was a normal human, living life like a normal human should until the Shinigami invaded my life and I ended up getting wrapped up in a wild and crazy fight against a psycho Bounto that had been in love with my mom, but was the cause of her death as well as my dad's. And now after almost a year of "being involved," I'm starting to have dreams and hear voices. Yeah, that about sums it up.

Yuzu had answered my knock at the door and escorted me up to Ichigo's room, where she left me.

"Sorry to bother you," I started, fidgeting nervously where I stood. I was so nervous all of a sudden. It might be because the situation I was in now could very well be something Ichigo couldn't relate with.

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo replied. He motioned me to sit on his bed while he sat backwards in his chair. "What's up?"

I didn't answer him at first. I was writing an impromptu script in my mind. "Is Rukia here?"

"No, she went to visit Inoue. Do you need her? She should be back soon," he said.

'_Perfect_,' I thought. "No, I needed to talk to you. I just wasn't sure if she was still hiding in there." I nodded towards the closet. I wanted this talk to be only between live humans. "I know this is a really random question, but… You are alive, right? You're still a human?"

He blinked at me and there was a short pause. "Yeah…"

"J-Just wanted to make sure," I murmured with a sheepish smile, noticing the wary look on his face. Great, I failed in trying to _not_ sound or look like a freak and it's only been three minutes. "I was wondering, since you're alive and all, how you got your Shinigami powers? I thought you had to be… you know, dead." I was just rolling with smooth words today. Talk about completely random. Would he get suspicious?

Ichigo didn't say anything for a while, as if debating whether he should go ahead and tell me his story. I sat there patiently, playing with my hands which were folded in my lap for the majority of the time, until he spoke. "Well, yeah. You're supposed to have already died before you can even start training to be a Shinigami. You have to attend an academy for Shinigami for six months before moving into Gotei 13," he started in a sort of whimsical tone, as if preparing for a long tale. "I kind of… breached that rule. Not voluntarily, though."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "You were forced to become a Shinigami?"

"Not exactly… it's a long story." He sighed and stared at the ground for a while, recollecting his thoughts. "I had always been able to see spirits ever since I was born—which is really unusual for a human, an infant at that. So by the time I hit my teenage years, my reiatsu was apparently off the charts and attracting Hollows. Well, one day my family was attacked by one and Rukia saved us; but she got hurt in the process and couldn't keep fighting. The Hollow wasn't completely dead yet, and he was demolishing our house searching for me."

I narrowed my eyes. Why did this sound remotely familiar?

"I was still a normal human then, so I couldn't do anything. That was when Rukia offered to have me use some of her powers to save my family… which was crazy, especially when I had to—"

"Stab yourself with her sword…"

"—stab myself with her sword," he said, thankfully not hearing me. "After I did, though… that was when I became an unofficial Shinigami."

"Unofficial? Aren't you ordained?" I asked. So many questions were flying around in my mind, and I could hear amused chuckling from my little plague in the back of my conscience.

"Now I am," he said. "It's… really bad for a Shinigami to give his powers to a human. When the old man found out that Rukia was nearly wringed like a sponge of her reiatsu because of me, she would have been executed if we hadn't made a rescue party. After that and a few major events, they finally let me be a substitute Shinigami."

I gulped. Executed? "Wow," I murmured, taking a moment to let it all sink in. My mind was racing, coming up with a million possibilities a second. "And you have a zanpakutou, right?"

"Yeah."

I tried to keep a straight face as I asked, "I heard that Shinigami can speak to their own zanpakutou, and vice versa. Can you do the same?"

Ichigo grinned very lightly, as if hearing it now. "Yeah, Zangetsu and I talk quite a bit."

My fingers clutched my skirt and I abruptly stood and bowed. "Thank you so much, Ichigo—that's all I wanted to know."

He looked up at me in surprise. "No problem."

"I'll see you later. Bye!"

I barely heard his very confused "later" as I zipped out the door, nearly crashing into Karin in the process. "Sorry!" I exclaimed as I spun to avoid a collision. She stared at me weirdly as I leaped down the stairs.

As soon as I stepped outside, I was running.

There was no way—but the pieces fitted together so perfectly.

Rukia was on the verge of losing the battle. Ichigo, a normal human with a lot of reiatsu, happened to be there. She offered him her powers to save him and his family, and he voluntarily took her zanpakutou to his chest… and then he was able to become a Shinigami.

"_Metsuki wants you to have what's left of her power. She's not going to be here for much longer, so she wants to give you whatever power as a Shinigami that she has. But in order to do that… you have to plunge her sword through your heart."_

Mimi's words rang loud and clear in my mind as if I had just heard them, and the memory of the scene that I swore to erase from my mind replayed vividly. Metsuki's last request, the searing pain as her sword punctured my heart, the blinding light that followed… and now the story that I just heard, a testimony from Ichigo…

It took me a moment to realize that I was barely breathing.

'_You… Are you my…?'_ I asked, too engulfed in thought to make a coherent inquiry.

There was an exasperated and amused sigh. A strong voice, unrestrained by timidity, spoke in a melodic chime. ( _I've been trying to tell you that for the last five months! But did you listen? No—you chose to believe that me being the root of your insanity was more logical than me being your zanpakutou! You humans, I swear… )_

'_You never told me you were my zanpakutou!'_

_( Zanpakutou, embodiment of your soul—same difference. So you believe me now? )_

'_I'm not a Shinigami… and I don't have a zanpakutou! So how can I have you?'_

_( Thanks to your sister, you have the powers of a Shinigami. They're just dormant. If you were to eat a Soul Candy or something, you'd be able to hop in—or out, rather—to your Shinigami form. )_

'_Metsuki died before Thanksgiving! Why didn't you start becoming real until January?'_

There was a roll of the eyes, I just knew it. _(Well _excuse_ me for not choosing to drive you insane until two months later. To be honest, you really didn't need to know about me then. I figured you had enough on your mind, and the knowledge of your possession of a zanpakutou spirit would have probably made your head explode. )_

Oh, and choosing to know about it in January was so much more rational. _'And you chose to come alive in January because…?'_

Pause. _( I think you know why. )_

As soon as it said that, my mind went blank momentarily. All mental functions ceased.

_( … I'm female, by the way. )_

I blinked. _'Huh?'_

_( You keep referring me as 'it.' I'm female. I just wanted to make that clear. )_

I grinned sheepishly. _'Oh, uh, sorry… I've never really taken to thought about what you… um, were.'_

_( I've never been told that I sound like a man, but then again, you're the first person I've ever talked to, so I suppose that really isn't saying much… )_

I laughed along with _her_—_( Thank you! )—_until another thought crossed my mind.

Where in the world am I going?

I paused in my steps and looked around, now paying attention to my surroundings. I was right smack in the middle of town. A left turn here would take me back home. What was I going to do now? I couldn't just go back to my room knowing that I had a… spirit with me now. Wow, that statement is so weird. Anyway, I had to do something about it—but what? Should I tell someone? No… That didn't seem like the best idea. I needed to talk to someone, ask for counseling from someone who knows what they're talking about—someone who can relate to me. I didn't want to bother Ichigo again. He might catch on and say something to Rukia and eventually leak out to Gotei 13 and ultimately get my head chopped off.

With a few more minutes of thinking, I started walking.

_( Going to visit Mimi? )_

'_Yeah.'_

Mimi was there when all this happened, so surely she would know what to do next. According to Riana and Hikaru, she should be at Kisuke's shop right now.

But as soon as I reached the little dirt path leading to the shop, I suddenly became… reluctant—scared, maybe. What if Mimi asked me to do something totally crazy, like go one-on-one with a Hollow or something? I didn't know what to expect. Last time I remembered, Mimi wasn't exactly ecstatic about me. For all I knew, I could die today…

_( You should have thought about that _before_ you decided to show up, genius. )_

Just as I was about to take a step back to rethink this, I saw a head poke out from the door of the shop—Jinta's head. His fiery red mane stuck out immediately. "Hey, it's you!" he shouted.

I almost groaned. Too late. I gathered up what little courage I had and trudged up to the shop, trying to keep my face even. My subconscious companion giggled in amusement.

"I thought that was your reiatsu I sensed," Jinta said as I stepped into the shop. He crossed his arms and stared up at me. "You haven't been here in a while. What do you want?"

I took three seconds to debate whether I should chicken out or keep going. "Um, is Mimi here…?" I asked uncertainly.

"It's about time you showed up."

Jinta swerved. "Yup, there she is."

Mimi leaned on the doorframe leading to the back part of the building. Despite the lack of expression on her face, I burst out into a smile. It was just then that I realized that I had missed her. But before I could say hi, she silently motioned me to follow her. I almost fell. Looks like she hasn't changed much…

"Thanks Jinta," I murmured as I trotted after her.

"I knew it was going to take a while for it to manifest itself, but I didn't think it would take more than half a year," Mimi mused more or less to herself than to me. She paused at the little round table that sat in the center of the room and turned to look me over. "… You got thinner."

I tried hard not to show any sign of anxiety. "Nice to see you too, Mimi," I started lightly. "Where are Kisuke and Tessai?"

"Out," she replied curtly. "Did you need something?"

_( This kid is real bratty. )_

'_Tell me about it.'_

And finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "How are you doing, Mimi?" I asked in all seriousness, warding off any hostile waves I was receiving from her. And unless it was my own imagination, there was a lot. Could it be that she still doesn't like me? Or does she hate me even more now because Metsuki is gone?

She took a little while to answer. "I'm fine," she said.

I arched a brow. Well, she did _look_ okay. Her physical appearance hasn't changed at all. She hadn't gotten any paler, and she wasn't thinner than she already was… But there was one drastic thing that changed, and one that I tried so hard not to make obviously obvious.

She chopped her hair off.

Mimi was adorable naturally, so she could pull off the short hair… but it was a huge change, and threw me off as soon as I saw her. Her long, sandy blonde hair that once fell way past her waist was cut so that it barely inched past her small shoulders. It gave her a tougher, more boyish look that certainly suited her personality, but utterly surprised me. It was a drastic alteration, but I couldn't say I don't like it. Actually, she looked a lot cuter… It gave her her own look, as opposed to looking exactly like Metsuki.

I knew that I wasn't going to be getting any more personal information from her. But before I could start asking for advice, one logical question popped into mind. "Hey, where's Usacho?" Her doll was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, he's around," she said knowingly. She jumped right into conversation. "When did you find out about your spirit?"

So she was going to be the one to start it. "Well… Technically, she started appearing to me in January. I didn't realize what she was until today, though." One look on her face told all. "I know, I know, we humans are so stupid." There was a spark in her eyes just then, and for a moment I thought she was going to laugh. "So, cutting to the chase—what do I do now?"

Mimi arched a brow. "What do you mean, 'what do I do now'?"

I blinked. "Uh… Exactly what it sounds like?"

"Aww, geez," she murmured, running her small hand through her shortened hair. "Must I spell everything out for you?"

"Well, I don't know about most other humans you've met, but I've never had to deal with a zanpakutou spirit _or_ dormant Shinigami powers. If you really want me to start acting out guesses, I guess I can see where it gets me… or the town…"

She rolled her eyes. "What did Metsuki die for?"

"To protect me."

"There you go," she said, stretching.

There was a pause. "Huh?"

"Those powers aren't for decoration," she stated. "She gave them to you so you could protect yourself. So now that you've acknowledged your spirit's existence, you need to learn how to protect yourself."

I waited for her to say more, but she didn't. "You say it so simply," I murmured after several seconds.

"There's nothing complex about it."

This was only the first ten minutes of communicating with Mimi after nearly seven months of not seeing her, and I was already ready for a break. She calls me stupid, yet she speaks as if I know exactly what she's talking about all the time. Make up your mind already! "Well I can't exactly learn kung fu overnight."

"You need a trainer," she said, crossing her arms. "Someone who'll teach you how to fight."

"I figured that."

She scowled. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"

I decided to let that conversation drop. I had all I needed to know for now; at the moment, I had something else that I was even more curious about to ask her. "Can I ask you something?"

Mimi paused and stared unblinkingly at me, suddenly becoming very wary. "What?"

"Why don't you hang out with Hikaru and Riana anymore?"

The question caught her off guard, but in one second she was back. She sniffed. "What's it to you?"

_( I'm going to scratch her eyes out. )_

'_Shut up. You're a unicorn—you have nothing to scratch with!'_

_( Details… )_

"I'm just… curious. They told me that you've been staying here all day—they rarely see you anymore. Did something happen?"

She looked away. "No."

That made sense. "Then why…?"

"It's… It's none of your business," she murmured. Her tone was quiet.

I sighed internally. This girl was more stubborn than a donkey. "They're worried about you, you know."

"Why must you always pry?" she snapped.

I inhaled sharply, and I literally _bit my tongue_ to keep from shouting. High powers above, grant me strength… "I'm worried, too," I said with a now throbbing tongue. "Why don't you like them?"

She flared. "I didn't say that."

"You're not making any sense!"

And finally, she snapped. "The last time I confided in you, Metsuki was killed!"

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as comprehension dawned on my face. The problem wasn't with Hikaru or Riana—it was with me. She blamed Metsuki's death on me. Hikaru and Riana are my best friends; therefore, Mimi wanted nothing to do with me and stayed away from anything related to me.

_( That's it. I've had enough! Summon me, Megumi—I'll thrash her! )_

'_No, it's okay.'_

_( No, it's _not_ okay! Let me at her! )_

'_For a unicorn, you sure are violent…'_

_( I'll turn her inside out! )_

Before I knew what I was doing, I had begun walking towards the door. "I'm sorry. I won't bother you anymore, then. Thanks for your help," I said, briefly meeting her eyes. They were glowing with emotions I could very well relate to: confusion, fury, hate—but most of all, sadness. She was still heartbroken after Metsuki's death. Despite with a glare that intimidated death itself facing me, I forced a small, pitiful smile. "I like your haircut, by the way."

I saw those hate-brimmed eyes widen slightly just before I spun around and marched right on out the door.

"See you, Jinta," I murmured as I hopped off the porch. "Say hi to everyone for me."

"Sure," he said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. He probably overheard everything.

The spirit inside me groaned before I reached the late-afternoon bustling of the town. _( I can't believe you let her say that to you! )_

'_It's fine,' _I said, trying my best to keep my head out of a daze. _'She's still dealing with it.'_

_( I don't care if it was her mom or her pet cricket that died! That gives her no right to say stupid and false things! )_

I didn't say anything else during the remainder of the walk home. Takuya-oji was taking a nap with the TV on (as usual) when I came back, so I quietly shut the door and scurried up to my room, where I would spend the remainder of my evening in quiet contemplation… or nothingness. My spirit was still ranting and raving (and yelling at me for not replying to her, I think), but I really didn't register anything she said at the moment.

"_The last time I confided in you, Metsuki was killed!"_

That really hit home. I couldn't think straight, couldn't breathe properly—emotions that I had gotten over just recently were beginning to resurface, although I was trying desperately hard to suppress them. My mind brought back the memory of that life-changing day in the forest: Mimi, the fight, the death…

A single tear slipped through my safeguard and traveled slowly down my cheek, and it was then that the voice in my head abruptly stopped.

_( Oh no you don't, )_ she hissed. _( Don't you _dare_ start. )_

I fell over and buried my face in my pillow. _'Just let me be miserable for tonight…'_

_( I've seen more of this than I ever wanted to see in a lifetime! Stop it right now! Don't make me hurt you! )_

'_Unicorns are supposed to be peaceful…'_

_( Peaceful my behind! So help me, I will impale you if you start those stupid mental ravings of yours! Don't be a pathetic wuss, Megumi—deal with it! You can't expect to go through life without dealing with these things! )_

I knew she was right, but what else could I do? _'What am I supposed to do then?'_

If a unicorn could slap her own face—uh, muzzle—then she did. _( Oh, for heaven's _sake_, Megumi. Make that little imp eat her own words! )_

I sniffed, wiping at my tears. Something was telling me that she was more steamed up about this than I was. _'How?'_

_( Find a teacher and learn how to fight! That blondie hates you because you're helpless and weak! She thinks that Metsuki's sacrifice was in vain! She thinks you're just a lump of flesh taking up space! She probably wants to kill you herself! )_

Uh, I think she was going a little too far…

_( So man up, bear a sword, and show her how worthy you are of sacrifice! )_

'_But where will I find a teacher?!'_

_( Stop being lazy and find one! You can't keep the brat believing that you're a useless and defenseless human! )_

'_But I _am_—'_

_( WHAT WAS THAT? )_

'_Y-Yes ma'am!'_ It was building very subtly, but there was a glimmer somewhere—I could feel it in my bones—my mind, body, and soul itching for it: for power, for redemption, for control. And then I could put a name to the feeling: determination, especially when she kept yelling at me like this.

_( Do you want her to keep believing that you caused Metsuki's death? )_

'_No.'_

_( Do you want to keep being a useless, lazy little human? )_

'_No.'_

_( So what are you going to do about it? )_

'_I get it, all right?!' _I shouted, rolling over onto my back. My arms sprawled out beside me and I stared up angrily at the ceiling. This spirit sure knew how to stir me up. I kind of appreciated it—I needed to be put into place like this. _'I'll find a teacher and learn how to fight.'_ Somehow, using the word "fight" in relation to me scared—no, terrified—me.

_( Atta girl. )_ The spirit finally sighed, and I could feel her fury-fueled excitement slowly beginning to die. _( That was _so _unladylike… No wonder you didn't know what I was. I yell like a man! )_

I laughed, as did she. _'Thank you. I needed that.'_

_( I know. I'm the only one that would've said all that, too. )_

'_You're probably right.' _I sighed and rolled over again. _'I'll start thinking of a teacher tomorrow.'_

_( Sounds like a plan. )_

'_Hey, are you going to keep appearing in my dreams?'_

There was a short pause. _( I may from time to time. Am I bugging you? )_

'_No, not really… I was just wondering, since we're talking like this now.'_

_( Oh, I can only show you so many things when you're awake. )_

I arched a brow. _'What's that supposed to mean?'_

She giggled. _( Hmm. I wonder. )_

'_You know, I still don't know your name.'_

_( Oh, pity. )_

' _Huh? '_

_( Sweet dreams, Megumi-chaaaan. )_ And with that, she disappeared.

I laid there for a little while longer, recalling the crazy events that happened today, until I eventually got so tired that I conked out after just a couple minutes.

Hmm. I have a zanpakutou spirit now.

Imagine that.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi Ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

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**A/N:** **NEW THEME SONGS! WOOHOO!**

Yay 40 chapters! Phew, that's a lot of chapters huh? :) Wow, I've come so far already… this December (which is still a ways away, I realize), Furareta will have its second anniversary! Time sure flies, huh? :)

Anyways, yes, that's chapter 40! Two chapters without our beloved tenth-division captain?! Oh, the horror! What is this fanfiction coming to?! Have no fear, readers, for Hitsugaya-san will be making his appearance shortly… if you think being a reader and deprived of Toushirou is tough, imagine being the authoress who is the one depriving her awesome reviewers from not only their object of true love and affection, but hers as well? I can only go so long without Toushirou! So have no fear, Toushirou will be coming back. For how long and when is the question. ;)

And Megumi finally has her zanpakutou! Well… almost, anyway. I know you guys have probably been waiting for this since chapter 32… haha, well it has finally arrived! And what is this crazy authoress going to do with this?!

You'll have to review and see! So send them reviews in everybody!

I can't help but praise you guys every single chapter, because honestly, you all are amazing! Seventy-six reviews just for one chapter… I love you all so much! :') To be honest, when I first started this story, I probably would have stopped at chapter 5 (or even before that!) if it weren't for you guys. It's really hard for me to stay committed, especially to a story… So your guys' encouragement is just an amazing thing for me. Thank you all so much! Let's see if we can reach 2000 reviews! Wouldn't that be amazing? :)

And now a shout-out to all those wonderful reviewers:

**HeadstrongNozomi, Aqua4, , I'm a Reader, haku fan1, Naishou, Naruto-Lover227, My Ashland, Mina Luriya, D R A G O N L I L I E S, Chibiussa, .creamXx, FailedWriter, hyourin-kusabana, indigoia, steel-alchemist, xXxByAkUyA-FaNxXx, ember-chan, aminea88, Oshima zakura, makoko, Mai, Arin-chan, avatar-chik, LadyChaos1011, viettvnt, RipplingWater, Melodicxstar, joster13, crystalstar83, RyuseiStreamGirl, zeratheliger, , Megumi Yunai, Dragon of Twilight, , Kukino3, Skelkitt, Mochakitty123, Hikari6007, -Not, jazzmin92, Satupilvi, erina destiny, pinkatailmon, fanny-kun, ThatKid, darklightningdevil, HitsugayaDream, GothicCinnamon, Sakiru Yume, kaito142, KurokamiHaruhi, xXxAirinxXx, CRdragonPyro, Tateno Atsukino, heyitsme, FlareKnight, NamineNasha, Uchiha Sasha, HANYAxbrando, Immortal Eden, iv, MaruiBuntaWorshipper, The Rain Collector, kimianime, lill'goddess, TheKingJingles, XxSilentMoonAngelxX, Death-Key, CrieLaw13, bleach, Vangcorra, Riku727, Julie013, THANK YOU!!!!**

**I love all of you! :)**

I'll try to get my next chapter posted ASAP… and it just might have Toushirou in it!

Signing out,  
Bayo – bayo!


	41. What You Don't Know

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Surprise surprise! Here I am with another chapter for my favorite bunch of people! :) A two-day wait update (RHYME!)—I haven't had one of those in a while! Thank you so much for your reviews, everyone! So enjoy the chapter—it's a pretty rocky one!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y – O N E :**  
_"What You Don't Know"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

It was raining today. No… "rain" isn't the right word. It was _pouring._

I stared out with growing gloom outside my window, hearing the thunder crash and the rain pound against the roof. I didn't hate the rain anymore, but I certainly hated it when it ruined my day. Especially when I had plans.

"The forecast said nothing about a thunderstorm," I whined. "What do I do now? I'm supposed to find a teacher today!"

_( You're going to let a little rain stop you from your destiny?! )_

'_A _little_ rain?! There are flood warnings!'_

_( Flood warnings, shmud warnings. You have a raincoat and boots, right? )_

'_But if I get sick, I won't be able to fight!'_

_( Details! )_

'_Details can save your rear sometimes!'_

Despite my protests though, I eventually found myself rummaging through my closet for the raincoat that I hadn't used for about a year now. Whenever it rained, I usually just stayed inside. With the little voice in my mind now though, I doubt that was an option… "Ah, here it is," I murmured, yanking my classic yellow raincoat from the hanger. If I still had this, the boots that went with it were somewhere around here too. "I wonder if it still fits…" I mused, holding it up to my shoulders.

_( You'll still be scrawny no matter how many years pass. That thing is huge anyway! )_

'_Did I ask for your opinion?!'_

Now that we've finally met, the unicorn would rarely shut up. Usually I would find it painfully obnoxious if someone kept talking to me like this, but for some reason, it wasn't bothering me at all. It may be because she's my zanpakutou spirit… I don't know. Whatever the reason, it was a good thing I tolerated it; I knew she wasn't going to stop talking even if I asked her to.

"Okay, time to face the thunder," I murmured with dread as I headed for my door.

_( I thought you liked thunder? )_

'… _My uncle.'_

_( Haha! Uh, I mean, good luck with that. )_

'_Don't worry, I've got a plan.'_

_( Oh, really? Do tell! )_

'_You'll see.'_

_( Oh, the suspense! )_

With my raincoat draped in my arms and my boots already donned, I tramped down the stairs and into the living room, where Takuya-oji was peacefully watching a game of soccer. The moment he saw me, though, that look of tranquility disappeared. "Where are you going in this weather?" he asked suspiciously, noting my attire.

I swallowed. "It's really important this time!" I murmured, trying my best to feign panic. I even flailed to the door. "I have an interview for a job today and I'm going to be late!"

He blinked. "You didn't tell me you were applying anywhere," he said with a raised brow.

"Well," I replied, brainstorming. "I didn't want to tell you I was applying and then say that they haven't called or anything. That's kind of embarrassing."

The unicorn chuckled. _( Oh, you sly dog. I'm appalled, Megumi-chan! )_

"The storm's expected to stay like this the entire day," he said. "Can't you reschedule?"

"Do you know how bad that would look? Missing an interview because of a storm—things like this happen every day! My determination is being tested!" I exclaimed, already pulling my coat on. "I promise I'll come right back after it's over!"

He could only stare as I grabbed an umbrella and flew out the door.

"Phew, that was close," I said as soon as I hit the street. I was already drenched.

_( That was impressive, )_ was her response between fits of laughter.

I sighed. I hated lying to Takuya-oji, but if I twisted it enough, it wasn't really lying. In fact, it was kind of paving the way for if I found a teacher. I'll get my "interview," and during "work" I'll be learning how to fight!

_( Where are you going to look first? )_

'_Oh, I already have someone in mind.'_

_( Really? Even more impressive. I'm loving you more and more each day! )_

I smiled. In fact, unless my senses were betraying me, that prospective teacher was waiting for me right now.

_( Where are you going? )_

'_To where I first met her.'_

Funny, the weather was almost exactly like this the time I first saw her, too.

I haven't walked this route for almost a month now, but this was a lot more nerve-wracking than it had ever been. I paused just outside the gate of my school. "Well… Here we are."

Lightning flashed dramatically as soon as I said it, illuminating the tall buildings that loomed just behind the iron gates. I took a moment to gain my thoughts and square my shoulders before pushing the gate open. With a loud creak they slid open—a sign that someone was, indeed, here. Over the summer, the school was completely closed and the gates chained until July, at the earliest.

_( It's just like a movie! )_

'_It's kind of creepy, isn't it?'_

_( The moment you step in is when the zombies attack! )_

I shivered. _'Shut up!'_

_( Heh heh. )_

With a bit of anxiety I pulled the front doors open and peered inside. The doors were unlocked too… But the lights were off in the hallway. I tiptoed in and quietly closed the doors. After wringing out what water I could from my umbrella and coat, I left both by the doors. I took a large breath before starting in. "It seemed like a good idea before, but now that I'm here…" I murmured absently, subconsciously holding my arms.

_( Don't worry, you have me! )_

'_Is it just me, or are you particularly energetic today?'_

_( I love thunderstorms! )_

I grinned. It was only when she started appearing in my dreams that I started to enjoy rain, much less thunderstorms.

After a few minutes, I found myself in a different hallway—only this one held the room I was looking for. And it just so happened that that same room had its lights turned on. Despite knowing who it was because of the familiar reiatsu, I gulped. This really was like a scary movie; the thunderstorm, an abandoned building, the dark hallways, and a lit room… But the setting of this "scary movie" ironically held one of my dearest memories.

_Pang_.

Yeah… this was also the place where he found me—

_( I wonder who's in the room? )_

I was immediately thrown back into reality and I shook my head. "Let's find out." Despite my fearless words, however, my legs were threatening to fall underneath me. I gripped the side of the doorframe with one hand and cautiously peered in. The drama room was lit all right, and everything was left just as I remembered it. There were boxes scattered everywhere and costumes from plays of years past were spilled on the floor. That wasn't the first thing I noticed, though.

The room was empty.

With confusion, I stood in the doorframe. It was a small enough room, so there was no space left for hiding where boxes weren't in the way. It's not like she'd have a reason for hiding anyway. Where was she?

"Looking for me?"

Warm breath tickled my ear and I screamed and flew forward, succeeding in landing in the most ungraceful manner on my front on the floor. There was a roar of laughter as I rolled over to glare at the assaulter, but of course, I was more relieved than anything. If it were anyone else, I probably would've fainted.

"We finally meet again," Yoruichi smirked.

I laughed. "The last time I saw you here, you were like a wet rag." I grinned. "Why were you out there on a day like that, anyway?"

I backed up to sit against the wall, and she plopped next to me. "Well, I was investigating something… I think I was tracking one of the Bounto or something, but I caught a cold the day before. So going out in a downpour like that really messed me up. It's a good thing you happened to be stranded in here," she sighed. There was a moment of silence, and she tilted her head back so that it thudded lightly against the wall. "Brings back memories, doesn't it? This is where I found you all cuddled up with the little taichou."

There was a sudden rip in my heart, but I managed to suppress my expression. "Yeah."

Yoruichi looked at me, smiled gently, and released a loud yawn. "You know, I bet he really regrets what he did."

"Huh?"

"He's doing everything he can to _not_ come back down here right now and apologize."

I scoffed, the pain still lingering. "Don't be crazy," I murmured. "You know why we're here, right?"

"So you can avoid seeing Mimi?"

I laughed. "Besides that." I glanced up at her to see her smiling knowingly at the ceiling. "Will you do it?" I asked. "Will you teach me how to fight?"

She laughed. "Ever since Metsuki died, I've been preparing for the day you'd ask… And when Mimi mentioned that you came by, I figured you'd start looking ASAP."

"You make it sound like I'm proposing."

"It might as well be big enough question," she shrugged. Finally she cast her eyes down at me. The gold of her irises flashed under the lighting of the room. "Are you sure you want to learn?"

"Yes."

"I'm not a nice teacher."

"I hardly expected you to be lenient."

"It won't be a pleasant experience."

"I know…"

Yoruichi huffed. "You know, I've never had to teach someone how to fight. I've trained people who already knew the basics, but I've never really _taught_ from scratch…"

"Think of it as a challenge!"

"And with what I know about you, it'll be the toughest challenge I've yet to face."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I could only smile at her. "Thanks, Yoruichi."

She stood up and stretched. "This is the last time you'll see me as someone nice for a while," she warned me. "Meet me at the shop at five o'clock sharp tomorrow and we'll get started."

I stood up with her. "You're the best, Yoruichi!"

"I know, I know—now hurry on back home before the storm gets any worse."

She walked me back to the entrance of the school and I began to pull on my raincoat. The storm outside sounded like it was getting worse than worse. The wind was howling like a dying dog and screeching like a cat at the same time. Yoruichi watched me for a little bit, and a soft smile lit her dark face. I stared at her as I shook my umbrella. "What?"

She grinned and patted my head. "Nothing," she chuckled. She kicked the doors open and I barely had time to yelp before the turbulence from outside rushed in, spraying my face with water. "And by the way, Megumi," she said as she stood in the doorway, getting ready to leave.

"What?"

"That's five in the morning!"

And with that, she dashed off.

There was stunned silence, and then—

_( I _really _like her. )_

* * *

**( HISTUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

"Taichou…"

One more stack paperwork signed and sorted. Now to finish the other four thousand (it may as well be) forsaken stacks… Blinking back the sleep that threatened to take me, I grabbed a document and signed it.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…"

I was going at my record pace: ten documents per minute. It was quite a feat, but definitely nothing to gloat about. In fact, I didn't like it at all. I felt like burning all this paper and sprinkling the ashes around the courtyard.

"Taichooouuu!"

I closed my eyes. "Matsumoto, how about you make yourself useful and help me finish all of _your_ paperwork?" I asked in a less-than-friendly tone, but nothing she didn't deserve. She had been sitting there for the past hour, staring at me. Who did she think I was? Some entertainer?

The lazy woman pouted from her throne, _my_ sofa. "Taichou, you've been doing that nonstop for the past three hours! Why don't you take a breather? You know, get a snack or something?" she suggested.

"Have you seen how much paperwork has built up over the past months? I don't have time to laze around. And besides, you're slacking off long enough to cover for me ten times anyway." I narrowed my eyes as I tossed another paper to my stack of finished work. I had seen so much white that I began to hate the color. What would Granny say if I dyed my hair black?

She was relentless. "Do you know that I rarely ever see you out of this office anymore? You're always doing paperwork! That's not healthy for you, taichou; you need time to relax!"

"That's what sleep is for."

"You haven't been doing that either! Look at those things under your eyes!"

"My cheeks?"

"Those black bags!"

I sighed. "Matsumoto, the soutaichou wants this paperwork done before the end of the week. I won't be able to do that unless I sacrifice the little time I have in the day to do this. If you really want me to take a break, you can do it instead!"

"Come on, taichou! Please?! I'm begging you, take a break! Just one hour off and I won't bug you!" I rolled my eyes. 'For the rest of the day,' she forgot to add.

Man, this woman is persistent. Why couldn't she be that way with her work?!

"If you're not going to do anything but _sit_ there, go away. You're distracting me."

"Aww, that's mean!"

"Tough."

She mumbled something under her breath, and I immediately flared. "What was that?!" I shouted, slamming my palms onto the table. The stacks of paperwork shook with the tremor and my pen rolled off the desk. It took me a while to realize that she was staring at me with wide, hurt eyes and I inwardly cursed. I grabbed my pen and sat back down. "Sorry," I mumbled, resuming work again.

Her voice was sympathetic. "Taichou, why don't you just take a little time off? I'm sure the soutaichou won't mind… He knows how hard you've been working, and he even offered you a mission to the real world not too long ago! Maybe a little Hollow butt-kicking will help take the stress off."

"Enough, Matsumoto."

She stared at me for a little while longer, and she finally sighed in defeat. "Why do you do this to yourself?" she mused as she looked up to the ceiling.

"I'm a captain."

"But you're a person, too… Taichou, no matter what you say, I'm sure that if you just went to visit for like a second, the soutaichou won't—"

I tensed. "Don't."

She frowned. "Taichou…"

I almost sighed. Count on Matsumoto to bring that up again; and just when I had been doing so well in keeping those thoughts at bay, too.

_( Master… She has a point. )_

I groaned internally. _'Not you too.'_

_( Yamamoto-soutaichou is easing up with you, I believe. You have done more than redeem yourself in his eyes… I am sure that if you just went for a check-up, he would not argue. And it has been so long since you went to the human world… )_

I threw another paper into the stack. _'I can't. I won't be able to control myself. And besides… I won't be welcomed.'_

There was a scoff. _( You know that is not true. )_

'_Then tell me why it would be a good idea to go, Hyourinmaru.'_

_( Just one glance would do you good, would it not? She does not have to know you were there. )_

I thought it over for a moment before discarding it. _'Just one glance? Please. Before I know it, you'll be suggesting just 'one' conversation. I can't do it, Hyourinmaru; the risks are too high.'_

_( But Master… )_

My expression was hard. _'I won't risk her again.'_

There was a short silence. _( If that is what you desire, Master… )_

'_It is.'_

And he disappeared back into my mind. I sighed; this was so tiring, dealing with this every day. Despite my protests and excuses, Matsumoto was right. I could really use a break. In fact, taking a break sounded even better than watermelon. I paused for a moment. No, I take that back. It wasn't better than watermelon.

Hyourinmaru chuckled. I almost cracked a smile.

Like I would every quarter of an hour out of habit, I cracked open my desk drawer and glanced inside. Inside, sitting pleasantly against the wood was the object that I should have thrown away five months ago. Teal, white, blue, and gray thread woven together into a neat bracelet sat there, staring back up at me.

Just one glance would last me.

The drawer slammed shut again and I resumed paperwork. I could feel eyes on me. "What now?" I asked.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Matsumoto asked.

"Doing what?"

"Opening your drawer. You never take anything from it."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I sighed and put down the pen. My hand was aching from all the writing. "I'm going to get some tea." And with that, I left the office.

I don't know how many times I've thought about visiting the human world. I've lost count of how many stupid excuses I've made up to justify my appearance in that world again, and even now I don't even remember what one of those excuses was. I've never told anyone about how much mental good it would do me to just be in the same world as those blasted humans, or how much I missed saving souls from Hollows. I don't know how many times I wished that I could just take everything back; that I could just rewind and remain anonymous to every human I've ever encountered.

But I was too selfish for that. Way too selfish…

The moment I chose to ignore the rules was the moment I was doomed; and the moment I chose to try to make things right, I shattered someone's world. Including mine.

I could still remember that day vividly, up to every last detail…

-+-+-+-+-+-

"_Nice of you to join us, Hitsugaya-taichou." Yamamoto-soutaichou's expression was hard and focused, as was the tone of his voice, which was raspy with age._

_I gazed around the audience room as if I had never been there before. It was because I wasn't used to seeing it so… _full_. The most I've seen in this room is thirteen—just the captains of the Shinigami divisions. That was all this room was used for, anyway: as a meeting place for important meetings. But now it was a conference room, and the little meeting room was almost packed to the walls. The thirteen captains were present, but not only that; the vice-captains of each squad were there, and my entire Shinigami division was there, looking thoroughly confused. I immediately found Matsumoto's face in the crowd—her blonde hair was easily recognizable—but she was staring at me sadly, her eyes visibly glossy even from here._

_And it was then that I realized what was going to happen._

_Just a few days after my birthday, Hinamori told me that the soutaichou wanted to meet with me after a week. I knew exactly why he wanted to see me. I knew exactly why, but at the same time it still frightened me. _

"_I assume you know why you were summoned here," Yamamoto continued, his voice booming with authority. Immediately the murmuring crowd fell silent, and I took a deep breath and stepped forward._

_Ignoring the sorrowful gaze of my vice-captain and the confused looks of my subordinates, I answered, "Yes."_

"_Rumors are untrustworthy things, Hitsugaya-taichou," Yamamoto said. His narrow eyes squinted at me. "When I first heard a particular rumor about you, I immediately rejected it. You have always been a respectable captain—always following the rules to the last period."_

_It was an effort to keep my expression from giving away the anxiety that I held inside, but I didn't know what my fake expression looked like—if it _was_ fake. But what I couldn't hide was the growing pain that began to erupt within my chest, leaking from the knowledge of knowing what was about to come._

"_But finally, I had heard enough and I investigated it. After receiving confirmation from a reliable source…" he paused for a moment. "It seems like you, Hitsugaya Toushirou, are guilty of breaching one of the most significant laws of the Shinigami. What I don't understand, Hitsugaya, is why you didn't do anything to quench the fire before it became out of hand, especially after a personal warning."_

_I could tell him why: because with her, I could never tell that I even had a match to start the fire. Nonetheless, I remained silent._

"_But then again… Even I would have never expected you to fall in love with a human."_

_I kept my eyes straight ahead, accepting the accusation head on, and immediately I felt all eyes fall on me. I could feel the different emotions drifting in the air, hear the abrupt gasps, the tiny whispers. I could feel my face burn with embarrassment, but I said nothing in protest. That was probably what stunned the audience the most._

"_You say nothing to argue against it, so it is safe to say that the rumor proved true." Yamamoto straightened his back and rested both hands on the top of his staff. "Hitsugaya-taichou, please recite to me rule number ten under the first section of 'Shinigami and Human Relations' in the Shinigami Rule Book."_

_I clenched my fists, feeling like a child being reprimanded. "'Under no circumstances may a Shinigami of any status acquire emotions greater than that of friendship towards a human. Those who gain a relationship equal to friendship are strictly cautioned.'"_

"_And as a captain, Hitsugaya-taichou, would you remind me what law to which you swore to respect, with your honor, at your inauguration?"_

_I stared at him eye-to-eye as I spoke. The rule fled from my lips clearly and precisely, hitting every note and syllable perfectly. "'Human-Shinigami relationships are strictly forbidden, especially in the case of a captain, no matter the situation or circumstance. Breaching this rule will result in the revocation of the captain's title and/or exile for potentially jeopardizing the safety of his subordinates and fellow captains, which may be done through the spread of harmful information. To further protect this law of the Shinigami, emotional boundaries must be premeditated and enforced, therefore restricting one from developing any emotions irrelevant to the mission.'" Here I paused for a fraction of a second, before finishing, "'Such is the law for a captain of the Shinigami in relation to humans.'"_

_I thought I saw a flicker of pride in the expression he gave to me, but it quickly disappeared. "I certainly do not want to lose you as a captain, Hitsugaya. I'm sure you feel the same?"_

_I winced. "Yes."_

"_I will take partial blame for this, seeing as I personally held you accountable for Nagasuki Megumi's safety, but you should have known better. In light of my involvement, however, I will let you slide from punishment." He paused to read my eyes, knowing full well that I knew exactly what he was going to say. "I believe that being pulled back from this mission and banning you from seeing or having any communication with Nagasuki anymore will be punishment enough."_

_That was more than punishment. It was torture. "And Nagasuki?" I asked. "Will anything happen to her?" If anyone were to even _touch _her…_

"_Nothing will happen to her. However, no Shinigami are allowed to speak with her." When he saw my satisfied nod and mumbled thanks, he tapped his staff on the ground. "Dismissed."_

_I kept my head down as the Shinigami were dismissed, but I moved quickly and became one of the first to leave. I could hear Matsumoto calling for me, but I ignored her; instead I swallowed my forbidden emotions and flash-stepped away, where no one else could find me._

_This was better for her…_

_This was better for her…_

_This was better for me…_

_Rage and sadness—that was all I could feel. But what ignited it the most was knowing that it was all my fault._

-+-+-+-+-+-

I stepped back into my office, a cup of hot tea in hand. The first thing I noticed was that the sofa was missing her queen. Now she usurped my chair. I tried to control my irritation as I walked towards her. "Matsumoto, what are you doing?" I grumbled, setting my cup of tea down rather forcefully. The tall red-head didn't look up, however—neither did she greet me.

And then I realized she was… crying.

"Matsumoto?" I murmured, all anger leaving me. Her shoulders shook softly as she ignored my call. This was unusual; I haven't seen Matsumoto cry in ages. What could have happened during my leave to make her _cry_? "Matsumoto, what's wrong?" I asked, anxiously rounding the table. When I saw it, my face became very still. How could I have just left it there when I wasn't in the room? How stupid could I be?

Her tears dribbled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin, landing in her cupped hands on her lap. In those hands she held, so gingerly, the bracelet that Nagasuki had made for me. The drawer it had occupied was still open. I put a hand on her shoulder and used my other one to take the bracelet. "It's getting late. You should go to your room," I said.

"I miss her, taichou," she finally said, glancing up at me. Her pale blue eyes were shimmering with tears, consumed with sorrow. "And you miss her, too."

"Go to your room, Matsumoto. Get some rest," I urged, pulling her from the chair. She didn't fight when I led her over to the door. "You shouldn't cry over it anymore."

She sniffed and stared at me. "If you're not going to cry, taichou… I'll do it for you."

With no more words left to say, she left.

I held the bracelet in my hand and stared at the closed door for a few moments before I walked back to my desk. With a sigh I sat in my chair, playing with the simple accessory for a little bit before setting it back in the drawer. My hand was trembling as it pushed it close.

I uttered a pained scoff. "Stupid girl, causing trouble even when you're not here…"

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

* * *

**A/N:** Haha, so Toushirou is back… but not really back?! Oh noes! You know, when some of you mentioned Toushirou as Megumi's teacher, I was really challenged. To be honest, never once did it cross my mind that Toushirou could teach her how to fight as well (if not better than)as the next teacher! And for a little while I even thought about somehow making that the case… but alas, that didn't work out. I'm kind of shocked that almost no one suspected Yoruichi though! She does seem to have a habit of drawing those human-Shinigami, doesn't she?

So now you guys finally see the story behind Toushirou's little act. How will it turn out in the end?! We will find out!

Thank you all so much for the reviews! And speaking of them, I will address my reviewers now:

**D R A G O N L I L I E S, I'm a Reader, ladychaos1011, Naruto-Lover227, xxkandii, aminea88, Raine2000, makoko, -lazy llama-, My Ashland, Kukino03, Vangcorra, Shanni-chan, jazzmin92, KusajishiFuktaichou, lill'goddess, pinkatailmon, Dragon of Twilight, zeratheliger, Satupilvi, Oshima zakura, Starrysnow, -Not, holy crow!, , hyourin-kusabana, Mai, kaito142, erina destiny, xXxAiriinxXx, FailedWriter, Naishou, haku fan1, Mournful Storms, Onepiecewonder, viettvnt, Uchiha Sasha, .creamXx, indigoia, ember-chan, Morbid Mello, Megumi Yunai, CRdragonPyro, steel-alchemist, Riku727, HANYAxbrando, KurokamiHaruhi, THANK YOU!**

**:) Love ya'll!**

Signing out!  
- Bayo - bayo


	42. Blinded by Weakness

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey everyone! So it wasn't exactly a fast update… but it wasn't too slow eh? Not a whole week has passed yet! Haha yeah, it took me a while to figure out what I'm going to do with Megumi's whole training 'arc,' if you want to call it that. Now I know what I'm doing (for the most part), so hopefully there will be faster updates! But enough of my chatter—read on!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y – T W O :**  
_"Blinded by Weakness"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

"_You know…" I murmured, shifting my position on the rock. "You still haven't told me your name."_

_The unicorn sitting across from me tilted her head in my direction. "Are you serious?" she asked, shaking her head. Her pure white mane bounced. "I've been screaming it to you for a while now. Are you deaf or something?"_

_I stared at her quizzically with my eyes narrowed. Ever since I had discovered her existence as my zanpakutou, these dreams have gotten a lot less scary. Actually, I've been able to actually know they were dreams, and that I was in a dream itself… I was in the same terrain as I was before I knew about my zanpakutou. But I was still real, as was the unicorn. "What are you talking about?" I asked, leaning slightly forward. "You haven't told me anything!"_

"_How many times do I have to tell you? It's ******."_

_Ugh, the same thing happened again—the name was whispered, or blurred out. "Stop whispering it to me!"_

"_Whispering it?! I've been shouting it for quite some time now! You're not the only one getting annoyed by addressing me as 'you'!" The unicorn stared at me for a second longer. I wonder how she could still talk without even moving her mouth… "You still haven't reached me, have you? We've been talking and junk for almost a week, and you still can't hear my name. I hope you get rid of what's clogging up your ears, Megumi-chan, because otherwise…"_

"_Get rid of what's clogging up my ears…?" I repeated._

"_Yeah, or else I won't be able to help you when you're really in danger." The unicorn stood then, her height towering above mine. I was still perched on the rock as she trotted forward, her twisted golden horn brilliant despite the dreary surroundings. She poked my forehead lightly with the tip of her horn._

"_So figure it out soon, okay? I don't want you dying."_

-+-+-+-+-+-

Four-thirty. Four-thirty. Four-thirty…

Four. Freaking. _Thirty._ In the morning.

I was _not_ a happy camper.

I picked up a shirt from my drawer, glanced at it, and tossed it over my shoulder. I picked up another shirt, glanced at it, and tossed it over my shoulder. I picked up another shirt, glanced at it, and—you guessed it—tossed it over my shoulder.

I repeated this process for about five more rounds before angrily clutching at my bed-tousled hair. "What the heck am I supposed to wear?" I hissed. I hated casual clothes—T-shirts and the like—because my style sticks more to the girly side. You know: skirts, blouses, flip-flops—anything cute like that. Riana was definitely more tomboyish than I could ever be, so I would always get lectured own how I should "dress comfortably." Did I ever say that my clothes weren't comfortable? I was perfectly and utterly cozy in what I wore every day! Other than my pajama pants, I don't think I owned anything that _wasn't _a skirt… well, besides leggings. That was definitely not the same though.

Which leaves me to me wearing cute clothes to go get down and dirty in. The mere thought pained me.

What made it even worse was having to deal with this unwelcome truth at an ungodly hour of the morning. It was still night-time to me, and probably to the rest of the neighborhood too. And I barely slept last night, which made this morning even lovelier… "This is so frustrating!"

The unicorn giggled. _( You shouldn't worry about it much. )_

I scoffed. _'Shouldn't worry about it? I have to get some of my good clothes dirty!'_

_( Not necessarily, )_ she replied knowingly. _( You could probably wear a formal dress to the shop and still not get one speck of dirt on it… Excluding the trip there, of course. )_

'_It's four-thirty-five in the morning. I don't want to think right now. What are you trying to say?'_

_( I'm trying to say that you probably won't even be in your own body during the training… so to speak. )_

'_Huh?'_

_( Please, Megumi-chan, I don't want to be continually reminded of how stupid you are. )_

'_Then stop beating around the bush and tell it to me straight!'_

_( How much more straight can you get?! Yoruichi's going to rip your soul right out of you! )_

'_Don't try to scare me!'_

_( Stop making me yell so early in the morning! )_

'_Stop trying to make me think so hard!'_

She and I took a deep breath at the same time, but she spoke before I could. _( Okay. You've known about Shinigami for almost a year now. Tell me, what is it about them that tells you they're Shinigami? )_

I glared at nothing in particular. _'Their uniforms.' _There was a small silence as I let that sunk in. When it did, a blasted heat warmed my neck all the way to the top of my head. _'You could've just said I was going to train as a Shinigami,' _I growled.

_( I'm sorry for overestimating your intelligence. I'll never do it again, promise. )_

'_Shut up.' _I pulled out random clothes and quickly got dressed. "Oh man, I'm going to be late!" I yelped as I glanced at the clock. I had fifteen minutes to get to Kisuke's shop. I quickly grabbed whatever I thought I needed—which was my purse, which I usually brought everywhere anyway—and quietly bolted out the door. I didn't even bother to look at myself in the mirror, knowing I would dive back into my wardrobe if I did.

The sun still hasn't risen yet, so the buildings and streets blended into each other in harmonious darkness outside. As soon as I reached the end of the porch, I stepped on something—the morning paper. Wow, how early did these kids wake up to deliver these? I picked it up and continued power walking. The town was sleeping still (lucky people) and, even though the probability of waking them all up was little, I tried not to be loud as I trotted along the sidewalk at a steady pace.

I paused at the pedestrian walk just inside town. A quick glance around the area told me that the whole city was still sleeping. A few cars traveled here and there to get to work, but other than that, the place was barren. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever been outside this early. It certainly gave me a whole new perspective of Karakura—it was kind of… eerie.

The light turned green and I swiftly darted across the street, now slightly paranoid.

_( You get jumpy so easily! It's really funny! )_

'_Why are you picking on me this early in the morning?'_

She giggled. _( This is your most vulnerable time of the day! Your brain is completely shut down. What better time to make fun of you than now? )_

I rolled my eyes. _'You're almost as bad as Toushirou—'_

I cut myself off with abrupt silence. My heart panged with the familiar pain that had began to suppress just recently, and my pace drastically lagged. Not again…

There was silence before my spirit asked, _( … Who? )_

I took a deep breath. _'No one.'_

I needed an outlet, fast. At the SOS signal, by body and mind immediately reminded me that I had the newspaper in my hand and I brought it up to my face. What I saw made my eyes widen.

The title of the head article: _MYSTERIOUS KIDNAPPER RETURNS._

My zanpakutou—argh, that's still so weird—had my same reaction. _( Ugh, he's back? )_

"Looks like it," I murmured aloud as I skimmed the article. I had to watch my time too—who knows what punishment I'll face if I'm late. The victim this time was named Hanajima Kaoru, a fifteen-year-old girl. She disappeared last night, right from her room. Her family woke up the next day and discovered that she was missing. "Ugh, this really needs to stop," I murmured as I tossed the paper in the trash. "As soon as I learn how to fight, I'm hunting this psycho down and introducing him to my fists…"

_( Oh, riled up, are we? I love it! Bask in your rage, Megumi-chan! Succumb to your inner fury! )_

'_Thaaat's really creepy,'_ I laughed.

After that one break that the kidnapper decided to take last time, I thought that they would stop; or, at least, not start again until later. This disappearance was irregular from his usual time of kidnapping; today was only Tuesday, and he usually did his deeds during the weekend. Tuesday was in the middle. Was he compensating for last time? Just who is this person, anyway? My first guess would be one of the two bad Bounto that were left, but for what reason would Yasuo want to take some kids? It's all so confusing…

I made it to Kisuke's shop just minutes before five. I stopped right before the door—which was closed—and took a deep breath. This is where my life would take an even more drastic turn… This is where I would learn how to fight. The idea was just so impossible to grasp. My hand reached for the side of the door.

_( Stop stalling! )_

The door slid to the side with a rusty squeak and I poked my head inside. "Hello…?" I murmured, somewhat intimidated.

"Morning, kiddo. Just on time." Although it was a little dark, I could see Yoruichi's dark silhouette leaning against the back door's frame. Her eyes glowed like light bulbs as they saw me. "Ready for your first day?"

I gulped and stepped in. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Good. Come over here."

_( Step forward and face your destiny! )_

I trotted towards her and asked, "Where are we doing this?"

"Somewhere where we won't be bothered," she answered. She kicked over the welcome mat that sat in the rear part of the store, and I watched in awe as she removed some floorboards to reveal a square hole and a ladder that went very far down.

I stared at the hole for a few seconds. "Has that always been there?"

"Funny, isn't it?" Yoruichi shrugged. "Get going."

"R-Right." How far down did it go? And what was on the bottom? I crawled towards the ladder, not noticing Yoruichi stepping behind me.

"Let's make this faster."

The next thing I felt was a foot on my back, and before I knew it I was… falling.

Wait.

_( You're falling, Megumi-chan! )_

'_What the—?!'_

When did I start screaming?

I saw the ladder next to me blur on by as I descended at top speed down the hole; it seemed to be getting darker and darker with the seconds that passed. Wait, I'm falling from so high… and I was going pretty fast. There was a very high possibility that I would snap my neck, given there was a ground to fall on…

'_I'm going to die!'_

_( You better not! )_

After a few more seconds of this torturous freefall, I the tunnel began to grow lighter; I could see a light at the end, and the ladder that continued to stretch down to the bottom. Warmth blasted me as my body flew out from the hole, and I could see a sort of desert terrain rising up faster to greet me. I had grown used to falling by now, but the panic quickly reached me before I could start looking around in awe.

'_Goodbye, world! And I still wished I had figured out your name, unicorn!'_

_( Get a hold of yourself, Megumi-chan! You're not going to die! )_

As the ground seemed to leap up at me for an even more disgusting _splat_, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the end.

And sure enough, it didn't come.

"Why did you make that stupid hole so darn deep? It would take hours for someone to climb down," I heard Yoruichi mumble.

"You don't like it? I actually thought the building suspense would make the trip down more enjoyable for visitors," someone else jovially replied. My eyes fluttered. Was that… Kisuke?

"Would she have survived if Tessai-kun didn't catch her?" Ururu?

"Probably not. She's nothing like that orange head—look how scrawny she is!" That was definitely Jinta.

"Tessai?!" My eyes shot open to see the big dark face of the gentle cook of the shop.

"Good morning, Megumi-chan."

"Drop her, Tessai."

As if she had pulled a lever, I fell to the ground with an ungraceful thump. "Ow ow ow…" I moaned. I got up and rubbed my rump. "That hurt." I took the chance to gaze around, taking in the room—or whatever it was—fully. What I saw was amazing; it was like a whole new world underneath the shop! The terrain reminded me of a desert with the dirt and the sloping rocky hills. There was even a sky above… Was that some sort of simulation? I took a few rounds taking in the size and temperature of the place. It was big enough to put a little village in! And unlike the gloomy before-sunrise weather outside, it was as bright as noon down here. Kisuke is amazing.

"Okay, let's get started."

I glanced back, snapping out of my reverie. Yoruichi stood before me, as well as the Kisuke crew. So it wasn't going to be one on one training… Would I be that difficult to teach?

_( Probably. )_

'_Can it.'_

"I asked Kisuke and his gang to help me teach you," she explained. "My goal for today is to get you to use your shikai before moving on to even basic sword training."

I blinked, subconsciously rubbing my arm. "My shikai?"

"It's the first form of your zanpakutou, after you learn its name," she said. "And you haven't done that, have you?"

"N-No, how did you know?"

"Just a hunch." She glanced over her shoulder. "Kisuke?"

"Of course," he replied. He took a few strides toward me, the same friendly shop-keeping smile on his face. "I was wondering when you'd finally start learning how to fight," he said cheerfully. With one flick of his wrist, he gripped the top of his staff and pointed it towards me. "But I'm not a nice teacher either, Megumi-chan—so don't think any less of me, okay?"

He shoved the butt of his staff into my forehead and I yelped, feeling a brief tingling sensation before flying back at least three feet. I slid against the dirt for a few more feet. "Ow! What was that for?" I yelped, forcing myself to sit up. When I looked forward, I froze.

"Why am I lying over there?" I asked, not really to anyone in particular.

There, lying lifelessly on the ground, was what I thought was me. It _had_ to be me—she was wearing my clothes and had the same hair and skin! Did Kisuke kill me?! Tessai trotted over to my body and scooped it up before trotting back to where Ururu and Jinta were.

"The Shinigami uniform doesn't look bad on you," Yoruichi idly mused.

"Huh?" I looked at my hands, and saw the familiar humongous black sleeves of a familiar black kimono. "Wh-Whoa!" I exclaimed, my jaw dropping at my new attire. The unicorn was right—I would be training in my Shinigami form. "I'm a… Shinigami?" I murmured, flexing my hands as if to make sure they were mine.

Yoruichi walked up to me and poked my chest. "What you are in right now is your soul's form; and since you have Shinigami powers, when you're forced out of your body—"—she motioned to the body in Tessai's arms—"—you come out dressed as a Shinigami, since your powers as one overrules your powers as a normal plus—that is, a regular soul. Don't worry, you're still alive."

I exhaled. "Thank goodness." So Kisuke forced me out of my body like this with his staff…

_( Woohoo! You're a Shinigami now! )_

I flinched. Was it just me, or was she louder than before?

"Your sword's on your side. Go ahead and draw it."

I gulped. My… sword? My hand wandered back, and sure enough, I felt the hilt. I pulled it out, hearing the _shing_ of the metal as it slid out from its sheath. "Oof! It's heavy!" I yelped.

Yoruichi crossed her arms. "Until you learn your zanpakutou's—or Soul Slayer's—name, your sword will be just a regular katana. You'll have to learn to deal with the weight and size until then."

I tested out the sword as she was speaking, trying not to look like an idiot as I idly swung it from side to side. I've never held a katana in my life—I wasn't expecting it to be so heavy and big. I was supposed to fight with this?

"Don't accidently chop off your feet," she said, raising a brow at me.

"Y-Yes!" I piped. "Now what?"

"What did I say was our goal for today?"

I gulped. "To learn my zanpakutou's name and use shikai."

"You've had contact with your zanpakutou spirit, right?" she asked.

"Yes."

"How often do you communicate?"

"Every day."

She paused. "Really? When did it start?"

"Several days ago… almost a week."

"And you still don't know its name?" she said thoughtfully. "Something must be holding you back, then."

That's exactly what the unicorn said. "What does that mean? What is?"

"Only you know that," Yoruichi said. "There's something stopping you from calling on your zanpakutou's name… I don't know what it is, but you need to take care of it."

"How am I supposed to find out what it is?"

"Talk to your spirit. Find out together. In the meantime…" She stared at me in complete deadpan. "You'll be trying to avoid getting killed by Kisuke or me."

My heart stopped as she held my gaze. "Huh?!"

"We'll keep hounding you until you learn your zanpakutou's name; so to avoid getting seriously hurt, you should learn what it is and fight us off quickly." She was completely expressionless. "We'll get more aggressive every three minutes that pass that you still don't know its name. Kisuke, ready?"

The shop owner smiled innocently. "Yep. Better start running, Megumi-chan."

Yoruichi stared at me. "We'll give you a five-second start."

I panicked. They were going to kill me?! There was no way I could avoid getting hurt while lugging this thing everywhere! And I was already clumsy enough! "W-Wait," I said, flailing my arms. "There's no way I can run and think at the same time!"

"One," Yoruichi started.

"You're not serious, are you?!"

"Two." Kisuke stepped forward.

"Guys… guys!"

"Three." They said it together.

Oh, crap.

So I started running—rather, thumping along, thanks to this huge sword. What in the world was I supposed to do?! How could I learn her name _and_ try to not get killed in the process?!

"Four…"

This is impossible! Completely impossible! I'm going to die today—

"Five."

I sensed it—reiatsu shifted as soon as that fifth second passed—and I briefly caught a glimpse of Kisuke's hat before I found myself rolling painfully across the ground. He tripped me! They were serious! I leaped to my feet, ignoring the pain of the fall, and started running again. I had to get away—find somewhere safe to think… Is the ladder still there?

_( You idiot! What do you think you're doing?! )_

'_What kind of stupid question is that?! I'm trying not to get killed!'_

_( There's nowhere to hide, Megumi-chan—you have to call on me! )_

'_I don't know your name!'_

_( How many times do I have to tell you that it's ******?! )_

'_I-I can't hear you!'_

"You won't last long even with just these three minutes." Yoruichi's warm breath tickled my ear. She grabbed the back of my collar and flung me to the side, right into a boulder that jutted out of the ground. My head kicked back, crashing against it, before I slid down to my rump. I could see stars; bright flashes of light filled my vision. Something warm trickled down my forehead. Was that… blood?

_( Megumi-chan, if you don't get your act together, they're really going to kill you! )_

'_I-I can't do this! I can't fight! I can't do anything!'_

_( What are you talking about?! Megumi-chan, get up—don't just sit there! )_

'_I can't! I'm sorry… This was a mistake…'_

Who am I fooling? I couldn't fight; I couldn't learn how to fight; I couldn't even manage to endure two little shoves. Why did I ever bother convincing myself that I could even learn how to fight—that I could fulfill Metsuki's wish?

I overestimated myself. I wasn't strong. I wasn't built to fight. There was no way I could get out of this alive…

_( Are you saying that you're going to sit back and let everyone else do the fighting for you?! That you're going to keep letting people get hurt on your behalf?! )_

I wearily rose to my feet, using the boulder as a support. My sword weighed heavily on my side, like an anchor to pull me down. My head was swirling. _'But there's no way I can do this… I'm too weak!'_

_( Stop depending on your strength to do this! You don't need to be strong to fight! )_

"The first three minutes are up," Yoruichi announced from behind me. Wait—behind…?

The boulder I was leaning on shattered, the force of the blow sending me back onto my rear. "Y-Yoruichi, wait! I—"

She came at me again, and I moved just barely in time to avoid getting pounded into the ground. The place where I had been sitting shattered, the debris flying in every which direction. My heart pounded in my ears, and I pathetically sprinted away.

_( Don't you dare quit! )_

I skidded. _'I can't _do _this, okay?! I was wrong to ever think I could learn something I was never meant to do!'_

_( Megumi-chan… )_

That's right… With fighting came danger, and with danger came possible fatalities. I couldn't deal with that… I stopped running. _'I'm not like Ichigo… I'm not built for fighting, and I can't learn to do it even if I tried. I can't protect myself. I should just stop… Training won't help anything. I can't do this—it's impossible.'_

_( … Fine. )_

"Yoruichi," I murmured. "I can't do this after all. I can't… I can't fight."

Yoruichi and Kisuke appeared on either side of me, staring at me. I didn't know why, but I was crying. It wasn't because I was hurt… Why? "I can't do it after all. I'm sorry."

There was silence. "You're quitting already?" Yoruichi asked, glancing at Kisuke. Neither of them broke a sweat.

I, on the other hand, was panting like a dog.

"I…" I murmured, unsure of what I was going to say. "Yes. I'm sorry for all the trouble."

I felt Kisuke's hand on my shoulder. I couldn't bring myself to look up. "All right." Yoruichi sighed. "Then we're done here."

I looked up just in time to see her disappear. Kisuke led me back to where my body was.

'_I'm sorry… I just can't.'_

* * *

I lay on my bed that night, staring at the ceiling. Every bone in my body ached. Shinigami received thousand times more damage than I took on… I'm such a failure.

Why am I so weak?

Why couldn't I be like Ichigo or Rukia—or Orihime or Rangiku? Why couldn't I be the type of girl that could take care of herself? Why couldn't I fight for myself? Did I have to depend on the protection of others for the rest of my life?

'_What's wrong with me? Why can't I fight?'_

Silence.

I narrowed my eyes. _'Hey, are you still mad at me?'_

The unicorn hadn't said one word to me ever since this morning, after I had finished using up just half an hour of everyone's time.

'_I'm sorry, okay? But I just can't… I can't fight.'_

She didn't respond. My temper flared. It's not like I could help myself! I can't change my physique!

'_You know what? Whatever—it's not like I need a zanpakutou anyway. I can't fight.'_

And with that thought still in mind, I rolled over and fell asleep.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

* * *

**A/N:** Haha, what do you think? Not exactly what you expected, is it? What will happen?! Will she give up? What happened to her spunky unicorn?! We will see!

Thank you so much for your reviews, everyone! I thoroughly enjoyed receiving and reading each one. This time I got 81! That's a humongous number! And I love you guys for it… you guys are my everything!

And now a shout out to all my reviewers:

**D R A G O N L I L I E S, -lazy llama-, Kukino3, Naruto-Lover227, xxkandii, aminea88, dokuki, My Ashland, kaito142, Shanni-chan, pinkatailmon, Dragon of Twilight, Melodicxstar, Satupilvi, MaruiBuntaWorshipper, Vangcorra, KurokamiHaruhi, Arin-chan, Oshima zakura, Mai, xXxAiriinxXx, moogle in paradaisu, ember-chan, Ikara-o-Kage, erina destiny, Spiffy Cloud, CRdragonPyro, I'm a Reader, Naishou, Mari Ferolla, Uchiha Sasha, lill'goddess, hyourin-kusabana, Raine2000, XxSilentMoonAngelxX, frowninggivesyouwrinkles, FrozenIceCream, Immortal Eden, steel-alchemist, viettvnt, 13Lulu's, .., indigoia, Mournful Storms, Zafo, HeadstrongNozomi, EvilBoyzR2Cute, jazzmin92, soup, LadyChaos2011, , NamineNasha, iv, makoko, flora236, Riku727, haku fan1, Serena Lockhart, aoitsuki77, Annetta, CrieLaw13, RiyaHanaIshigawa, TheAnonymousNinjaofDoom, Julie013, fanny-kun, SunsetRainbow, Afiercebeauty, darkheart1992, crystalstar83, RyuseiStreamGirl, The Rain Collector, HitsugayaFanGirl, iiTs a Fantasy, xXxByAkUyA-FaNxXx, Hikari6007, Tateno Atsukino, BionicLemon, Soratori-san, TheKingJingles, Sakiru Yume, Leopardstar, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**For you all, I hope to update soon… I can't give any guarantees, but I hope to have another chapter up within a short time!**

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!


	43. Call My Name

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Yay quicker updates! Like I said, now that I finally have most things figured out, the chapters will be coming a lot faster for a while! :) I absolutely love how quickly you guys review—it warms my heart to know that updates makes some of your days. As an author, that makes me feel wonderful beyond all words. I know you've been waiting for this chapter, and I finally have it written and ready for reading! It's a tad bit longer too, so that's a plus. :) I hope you guys thoroughly enjoy, and I'll see you again after the chapter!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .  
**_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y – T H R E E :**  
_"Call My Name"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

_I was dreaming again, that I knew… But I didn't know what had caused me to dream this, or what the purpose of this dream was—if it had any at all._

_The summer wind brushed across the meadow, tousling my long hair and flattening the emerald green grass. The scenery was completely different from the one dream that I was used to having; and unlike the thunder terrain that I didn't recognize at first, I immediately knew where I was this time. I was standing in the middle of a clearing in a forest. Tall pines and oaks surrounded me, seeming to block any route of escape; I was trapped._

"_Megumi-chan."_

_Who was that? The voice was familiar—very familiar, and almost painfully so—but it had no source. I gazed around frantically, trying to locate the person. "Metsuki?" I murmured, my eyes wide. Was this a dream? An illusion my mind converged? Was I cruel enough to myself to bring Metsuki into my dream?_

"_Nee-chan."_

_I turned around. "Metsuki," I breathed._

_Her almost colorless milky-lavender eyes looked in my general direction. She looked just like I remembered her; small, fragile-looking, extremely pale, long sandy-blonde hair… I took a step towards her. When she did nothing but smile, I rushed towards her and threw my arms around her. "Metsuki!" I exclaimed. "You're here—but why? I'm dreaming, aren't I?"_

_Metsuki's hand fell behind me, holding me for a little while, before gently pushing me back. Her hands traveled up to my face and she kept it on my cheek, tracing its contours. "Why did you give up so quickly, nee-chan?" she whispered, her tone not feigning that of hurt. "Why didn't you keep going?"_

_I knew what she was talking about immediately, and I gazed down. "You came to talk me back into it?"_

"_No… I can't force you to do anything, nee-chan. I just want to know why." She glanced up at me. "I didn't give you my powers just for decoration, you know."_

"_Heh," I giggled. "That's exactly what my zanpakutou said."_

_Metsuki smiled. "What's its name?"_

"_I…" I sighed. "I don't know. I can't hear it."_

"_Oh… Something's holding you back."_

"_I don't know what that means!" I said in exasperation. "It doesn't matter anyway… I can't fight."_

_Metsuki tilted her head. "What makes you think that?"_

_I rolled my eyes. "Look at me, Metsuki," I said, throwing out my arms for emphasis. I forgot the fact that she couldn't exactly see me. "This isn't fighting material."_

"_What about your zanpakutou?"_

_I crossed my arms. "What about her?"_

_Metsuki was silent for a while, before a small smile broke out on her cute face. "Ooh, I see now."_

_I furrowed my brows. "What?"_

"_Maybe I can help you, nee-chan," she said. "What do you know about zanpakutou?"_

_I stared at her for a moment. "To be honest… I don't really know. She said she was the 'embodiment of my soul,' but that didn't really help me out."_

_She giggled. "Zanpakutou are weapons that reflect on its bearer's own soul and personality. Each spirit is unique and contains its own special power, one that fits the image of the bearer; and only their Shinigami can hear or speak to them. They're a part of you. As the bond between the Shinigami and zanpakutou increases, so does their fighting morale and they're capable of doing amazing things together… But all of that comes after the Shinigami learns its name."_

_I stared at her, unsure of what to say._

"_The reason that learning your zanpakutou's name is such a big step is because for most Shinigami, learning it is something very difficult. You have to learn someone's name before you become friends with them, right? The same goes with this; learning the zanpakutou's name unlocks many powers that you didn't even know you could wield. It's really exciting. But something can hold you back from learning the name…" She paused. "It could be anything from a person to a personality trait. No else can know it but you. And until you figure out what that is and take care of it… Your zanpakutou remains a stranger to you."_

_I pursed my lips. I didn't want to tell her that my zanpakutou had been ignoring me since I gave up. "You never told me about your zanpakutou," I said, trying to change the subject._

_She giggled. "Actually, I doubt you'd be surprised, but…" She paused. "Her name's Usahi. She looks almost exactly like Mimi's doll when she's huge."_

_I blinked, and then uttered a laugh. "Usahi must be a lot nicer though…"_

_She stuck out her tongue. "I love her," she said again, taking in a deep breath. "She's always there for me."_

"_Was it hard for you to learn her name?" I asked._

_Metsuki smiled. "Well… Not really. When I died, the first thing I wanted to do was become a Shinigami to carry on Hakuto's practice—to protect everyone he loved. My resolve was strong and nothing could deter me, so it wasn't hard when I had such a clear and unrelenting path made up in my mind."_

_I kicked lightly at the ground. "Weren't you… afraid that you couldn't do anything?"_

"_Of course I was," she said. "Everyone carries fear, but you can't let it control you. You have to learn to control the fear that you have and turn it into strength."_

_Turn fear into strength…?_

"_But what if you're weak?"_

_Metsuki looked up at me, her face expressionless for a few seconds. Suddenly she smiled and gently grabbed my hand. "You're not weak, nee-chan."_

_My eyes flickered down. "But—"_

"_Who was it that came after me when I disappeared? Who took my sword and plunged it blindingly into her chest when she didn't even know what would happen? Who continues to smile day after day, even when the love of her life left?"_

"_Metsuki…"_

"_Be strong, nee-chan. I believe in you."_

-+-+-+-+-+-

Almost a week had passed since my failed training day at Kisuke's shop—and almost a week had passed since I last heard my unicorn's voice. At first I just thought she had been super mad at me and just wouldn't talk to me for like a day or whatever—but after the third day of hearing not so much as a breath from her, I began to worry. What had happened? Did zanpakutou disappear once their Shinigami gave up? But I still had my Shinigami powers… Was she still just ignoring me?

Every day I would call out to her in hopes of hearing just one word from her—one word assuring me that she was still there—but it was for naught. My zanpakutou wasn't talking to me anymore. What was that supposed to mean? Could I not be a Shinigami anymore?

The morning after my training day, I found something weird greeting me on my night stand. I grabbed it—a candy dispenser, it looked like—along with a pack of candy balls. A folded note under them read:

_Eat one of these any time you need to become a Shinigami. It pulls you out of your body and places a substitute soul in it while you're wandering about. It's even portable! Cute idea, eh? You can pay me back later~ _

_- Urahara Kisuke_

Although I really doubt that I'll be jumping out as a Shinigami anytime soon, I loaded the dispenser and carried it in my pocket wherever I went. The most I could do in Shinigami form is run around aimlessly—and if I were lucky, I might actually be able to cut off a toe or something with my katana (curse its heaviness), but that was about it.

I haven't been to the Urahara Shop since that day…

"Hey, you okay, Megumi?" Hikaru's voice protruded my thoughts, and I snapped out of my trance.

Today was a very nice day, and Riana and Hikaru managed to talk Takuya-oji into letting me hang out with them—as long as we were together. I was worried that Mimi had told them that I had tried taking fighting lessons, but apparently she kept it a secret—which I was grateful for. According to them, she was still secluding herself around the shop. I haven't even told them that I had a zanpakutou, much less talked to Mimi just last week. I just couldn't bring myself to tell them… Especially with how I was now.

"Sorry," I said, smiling. "I was kind of zoning out there…"

"I'll say," Hikaru said. He knocked on my head. "Anything in there?"

"Ow, stop!"

"Is something bothering you, Megumi-chan? You were quiet all day," Riana asked, concern smothering her tone.

I held my head and widened my smile. "No, I'm fine. I just have some things on my mind—that's all."

She smiled softly. "If you ever need to talk, Megumi-chan…"

"Don't be a stranger," Hikaru added.

I nodded. "Thanks, guys."

We had left earlier in the day to go do some shopping and hang out, but the day was too small to fit everything in. It was already past late afternoon; street lights were beginning to turn on. Shopping bags were weighing heavy in my hands as we made our way back to our homes.

"That was fun!" I exclaimed as I trotted up to my porch. "Thanks for taking me home."

"Yeah, anytime," Riana smiled. Apparently she was still unconvinced that I was okay.

"Goodnight." Yeah, Hikaru was unconvinced too. But I just couldn't tell them…

I made my way back up to my room after greeting Takuya-oji, and I jumped onto my bed. I sighed and rolled over onto my back. It was no use…

I miss that unicorn.

I had reverted back to how I was before she made herself known… But now I just felt empty. It was weird and lonely not having her give her random and eccentric shout-outs to me, yelling at me to accept my destiny. I missed not having her shouting at me for no particular reason…

But it was my fault anyway. I was the one who had given up. I didn't want a part of this anymore, and I got exactly that.

"Ugh, stupid unicorn…" I murmured, sitting up. I missed her and I didn't even know her name.

What was it, exactly, that was holding me back from hearing her name?

I moved from my bed to my window, where little droplets of rain began pattering against the glass. There was a forty percent chance of rain today, and I guess it was going to hit tonight. Rain—it reminded me of her. Maybe there will be a thunderstorm too…

'_Please talk to me. I miss you…'_

I sighed, resting my head against the window. It wasn't too dark outside; the sun was consumed by clouds, but it was still bright enough to make out shapes without straining. I really need a walk—some time to be alone.

I glanced at my purse just as an idea struck me. I tiptoed over to it and pulled out the candy dispenser Kisuke had given me, which was already beginning to attract dust from lack of use. If I became a Shinigami, no one else would notice me, right? Riana and Hikaru should be back at home… and maybe I could even hear my unicorn talk again.

Out of curiosity, I dispensed one candy into my palm. It looked like the size of a small jaw breaker—the candy I never liked. But it could pass as a gopstopper too, which was my favorite. I stared at it for a little while. What was the harm in wandering around for a little while?

I popped it into my mouth without thinking. There was a brief blast of cherry before I experienced the same tingling sensation that told me I was leaving my body—and I stepped back, now clad in a black kimono. I sighed and tugged at my sleeves. They were big and comfy, but I didn't see how you could fight in them—they were kind of annoying… "Didn't think I'd be like this again…"

"Hello Megumi-san!"

I yelped as my body spoke to me, and I stared wide-eyed at… myself as she smiled goofily at me. Did I really smile like that? I'm such a dork…

"Are you the substitute soul?" I asked, although the answer was obvious.

"Yep!"

I blinked. "I want you to stay put in this house, okay? Don't leave it for any reason." If something ever happened to my body, I literally won't know what to do with myself…

She—err, I—saluted. "Yes ma'am!"

I sighed. "Good."

I walked over to my window and pushed it open. Soft rain drops splattered on my face. "Close this, okay?"

She—I (argh!)—nodded vigorously. Man, that was so weird…

I jumped out and onto the ground, surprisingly without tripping. That was my one victory for the day…

'_Hey, are you there?'_

She didn't respond. Well, she had to be there somewhere—the zanpakutou is a part of the Shinigami, and as long as I was a Shinigami, I had a zanpakutou. But where did she go? Why won't she talk to me?

I glanced back up at my window, which was being closed, before wandering off. Where should I go…? I started in a random direction.

Being a Shinigami wasn't too different than being a human; you still had all the senses that a human had. I could feel the rain soaking through my kimono and hair, and despite the heavy feeling of being drenched, I enjoyed it—for some reason, it helped clear my mind.

"Stupid unicorn… Talk to me already," I sighed. What could it be that was keeping me from hearing her name? Metsuki said it could be anything from a person to a personality trait, and only I would know. But what was it? I wanted to know her name—I really wanted to know. And not knowing why I didn't was thoroughly ticking me off!

Before long I found myself wandering through town. The rain was falling at a steady pace, and I didn't look like it would get any worse. The glow from the street lights looked eerie as they cast a weak light, and in every direction I looked, the place was barren.

Now that I think about it… I haven't seen a Hollow or Bounto in a long time.

Count your blessings, I guess, but it was kind of weird. Was Yasuo still after me, or did he move on? I know he had something big planned to take on Seireitei and the Gotei 13, but he has yet to make his big move yet. How would he go about doing it? Could it be prevented?

Suddenly I stopped. My eyes narrowed. A burst of reiatsu abruptly appeared out of nowhere, and it was closing in. It wasn't anyone I recognized… It didn't even feel like a Shinigami, or a human for that matter. My eyes widened. It was a Bounto?!

Before I could run and hide somewhere, I heard a familiar voice. "Megumi-chan?"

I looked behind me, my eyes still wide and getting wider. Blood-red eyes stared at me in shock, framed by curly, thin blonde hair. "Romeo," I murmured. He was dressed as a normal human, and was even carrying an umbrella.

"Aww, _crap_—did you die?!" he exclaimed. "Great, Yasuo-sama's going to kill me…"

"I'm not dead," I responded awkwardly, stepping back.

"Huh? Then why are you…" He blinked once before realization dawned on him. "Oh, I get it now. Metsuki gave you her powers, didn't she? You can become a Shinigami now… I forgot Yasuo-sama told me about that."

I gulped, trying hard to hide my growing fear. "What are you doing out here?" I asked.

"Hmm. Have you been reading the news lately, Megumi-chan?" he asked, grinning. His pearly white teeth were dazzling in the darkness. "I should be asking you that—it's not safe for young people to be wandering around on weekend nights."

My eyes widened. It was to be expected, but… "What do you two want with them?"

"You want me to tell you? Where's the fun in that?" Romeo's smile widened as he stepped forward, discarding the umbrella. "You're a Shinigami now. Why don't you _force_ it out of me?"

I inhaled sharply. Wait—something else was coming…

"Yo, is this the one we're taking next?"

I spun around. There was a boy I didn't recognize—someone a little older. He was tall and somewhat built—well, you could tell he worked out. "She's got a lot of reiatsu…"

"Yuu, back off. Yasuo will kill you," Romeo warned.

"Don't worry, I don't really… want it, for some reason," he replied, staring at me questioningly. "So is this the one?"

"Remember what Yasuo told you about Shinigami?"

"This girl is one?"

"Yep."

"Oh… So that's what they look like."

I was thoroughly confused. Who was this guy? His reiatsu gave off the same feel as Romeo's… Could he be a Bounto? Wait—he said his name was Yuu. Why did that sound so familiar…? The said Yuu caught me staring quizzically at him and narrowed his eyes. "What are you staring at?"

"You're…" I murmured. "You're Shirotaka Yuu, aren't you?"

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

My eyes widened. He was one of the first people that the Bounto kidnapped. Could it be… "You're making more," I murmured, the realization dawning on me. I turned to Romeo, who sighed and held his face. "You're kidnapping people to make more Bounto!"

"The cat's out of the bag," Romeo sighed. "And you're a Shinigami too… Let's see. What should we do with you?"

I bit back a gasp. Yasuo and Romeo were recruiting more Bounto, for what purpose? Were they forming an army or something? "You just graduated," I murmured, turning back to Yuu. "Why are you still with them? Why aren't you preparing for college?"

"Graduated? College?" Yuu stared at me, honestly confused. "What are you talking about? I've been a Bounto my entire life."

Huh?

I stepped back. "What? You…"

"I think Yasuo would love to see you," Romeo cut in, his grin flipping into a frown. "Now Megumi-chan, I really don't want to hurt you, but if you leave me no choice…" The ring on his finger glowed menacingly.

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. He was going to kidnap me?

I glanced from side to side, judging my chances—and I took off running.

"Show yourself, Fiorella!" I heard Romeo yell. "Follow her, Yuu."

What am I doing? I can't out run him! But I can try to lose him… That is, granted that Bounto couldn't flash-step.

Instantly my mind flashed back to my training session just last week. This was almost a real-life version of it… Two people were chasing me down like this, not sparing my safety. Although I doubt either of them matched Yoruichi or Kisuke in strength or speed…

"_We'll keep hounding you until you find out your zanpakutou's name."_

I could get seriously hurt… And kidnapped.

My zanpakutou—I needed her right now!

I heard heavy footsteps padding after me in the darkness, and I pushed myself farther. I could feel the katana on my side weighing me down again, and I wished I could just toss it and go faster. What was I supposed to do? I can't even talk to my zanpakutou now, much less find out her name!

And I didn't bother to think of fighting—I can't even lift up my sword. Why was I so darn weak?!

"_You're strong, nee-chan."_

"_I hope you get rid of what's clogging your ears, Megumi-chan, because otherwise…"_

What is it? What was clogging up my ears?!

"_Stop depending on your strength to do this! You don't need to be strong to fight!"_

And suddenly, as if something hit the 'ON' switch, I knew.

The thing that was holding me back… was me.

I had no will. No resolve. I was fighting because Metsuki asked me to protect myself. I didn't do it because I wanted to, because I _needed_ to. I chose to fight because someone told me to fight, and like a good little girl, I obeyed. I did it to prove to myself that I could be useful and that Mimi was wrong. When I saw the challenge of the real thing, it had me questioning almost immediately. I had no desire to fight… because I simply didn't want to. I was being completely selfish, trusting in my own self-righteous strength to get me to learn how to fight. I didn't trust myself or my zanpakutou at all… I asked Yoruichi to teach me, blinding myself with the reason that it was going to work out somehow, because it always did.

Because I didn't trust her, I lost my zanpakutou's trust and now I can't hear her.

Because I was selfish and chose to fight for myself, I had no strength at all.

That was because I was weak… Why I couldn't hear her name. I was too focused on myself and my own nonexistent abilities.

Why didn't I realize this before?

But it was too late now.

"You're not getting away, Megumi-chan…" Romeo's voice was distant, but I could hear his voice loud and clear. As if responding to his words, it seemed like the shrubbery of the bush quivered and moved. Could he control nature?

I didn't know where I was running, but I suddenly found myself flying across the pavement after tripping over a ledge. My knees and elbows met with asphalt of the street, undeniably drawing blood, and I yelped in pain. The footsteps were drawing closer.

'_They're going to get me…'_

_( Stupid idiot! Why are you just sitting there?! Get up and keep running! Do _not _allow yourself to get caught you retard! )_

'_My knees hurt like—wait. It's you!' _My eyes widened and I audibly gasped. "You're back?!"

_( Huh? You can finally hear me again?! Thank the heavens, you idiot! )_

Despite the situation, I jumped up and smiled. _'You're back! Oh, I missed you so much!'_ And she was louder than she ever was before. My heart raced—I felt like I could do anything.

_( This is no time for mushy crud, Megumi-chan! That Yuu kid is catching up with you, and you're right under the street light! Get _up_! )_

'_I'm sorry I didn't trust you,' _I murmured, standing to throbbing knees. My hand found the hilt of my sword. _'I was being stupid.'_

_( Then show me, Megumi-chan. Call my name! )_

I grinned.

I could see Yuu's silhouette dashing through the alley I had just come through, followed by Romeo. Fiorella was glowing as she followed after her master like Tinkerbell to Peter Pan.

_( Do it! )_

"_Raiuta_!"

I pulled on the hilt of my sword, ready for the devastating weight of the katana, but instead a brilliant light erupted from the blade. I yelped, caught by surprise—and apparently the other two were, as well.

"What the?!"

"Crap! She released it!"

I didn't know what was going on, but the light wasn't hurting me. Instead I felt a surge of reiatsu—an overflow of my own spirit energy—leaking out from me and the sword. It was like I was a volcano that just erupted, and the thick lava was seeping through the top. The energy I felt was a warm, welcoming substance that engulfed me, manifesting itself in a bright yellow ring that circled the ground where I stood. Lightning crashed all around me and the rain seemed to grow heavier and harder. As welcoming and harmless as the reiatsu was, however… I wasn't accustomed to brilliant instances of light bursting around me. "Raiuta, what's happening?!" I yelped.

And in an instant, the energy disappeared. I could still feel the energy radiating off my skin as if it were the sun's heat, but the manifested form was gone. All of it disappeared, and was now concentrated in the sword I gripped in my hands.

My zanpakutou.

Well, the first thing I noticed was that it was extremely light—and despite its length, I could hold it in one hand. The blade itself was long—about two and a half feet long—and looked like it was made out of gold. As opposed to the usual silver blade of a katana, this was some sort of white gold—the color of lightning rod. The hand guard was wide and circular, made from a white metal that had ornate patterns burned into it that ran through it throughout. The handle was the same color as the blade—gold—but a white braid was wrapped around it. At the butt of the sword ran a white strap… A wrist strap?

I blinked as I held it up. The blade glinted under the light. "Whoa… This is mine?" I murmured.

_( Beautiful, aren't I? )_

Oh, and there was one more thing—another piece to the zanpakutou, I was guessing. A small gourd sat on my hip, following the gold trend by being gold; it was slightly transparent, as well. And it was… glowing? Then I noticed a weird tingling sensation on my knees, hands, and elbows; as if something was being pulled from them. I stared at my hands, seeing the wounds I received from falling. They were glowing. My eyes widened and I almost began to flail. After a few more seconds, the light faded, and left in its tracks were… nothing.

My wounds were gone.

"Crap, crap, crap! She knows its name…" Romeo muttered.

"What's name?" Yuu asked.

I blinked, and suddenly I was back on the battlefield. And then I realized… I had no idea what I was doing!

'_Crud! Raiuta, what do I do?!'_

_( Uh… Swing me around and hope you get lucky! )_

'_What kind of advice is that?!'_

"Aww, forget it—grab her and go." Romeo glared at me and snapped his fingers. The ground erupted, and I almost lost my footing. Something grabbed my arm.

Looking to my side I saw what else Romeo could do.

"He can make replicas of himself?!"

"Let go!" I yelled, flailing my free arm. A quick swing of my sword sliced the copy in half, revealing it to be a stack of mud from the park behind me. "Whoa," I murmured, stepping back. "Sharp…"

"Oh for the love of—" Romeo growled, starting towards me himself.

A burst of reiatsu appeared—no, two bursts of reiatsu appeared—and one of them pounced on Romeo, forcing him to the side. Another kick and a pained moan sounded as Yuu flew off to the other side.

The other reiatsu burst came up next to me.

"We meet again, lover boy!" Kisuke tipped his hat from beside me, a goofy grin on his face. "I was beginning to miss beating up on you!"

Romeo cursed, spitting off to the side. "Old man," he hissed.

Yoruichi bounced to my other side. "Bounto… I figured you were the ones who have been behind the kidnappings," she murmured, her eyes glowing.

The blonde Bounto narrowed his eyes and stood up. Fiorella fluttered around his head, as if unsure of what her master was going to tell her to do. "Yuu, we're leaving." He glanced at the Shinigami on either side of me before glancing at me. "See you again soon, Megumi-chan." And with that, they disappeared.

"That was a close one," Yoruichi sighed.

"Shouldn't you go after them?" I asked.

"And leave you alone with all that reiatsu leaking off you? Hollow bait!" Kisuke replied, shrugging. "To think that the burst of reiatsu we felt was yours, Megumi-chan—I'm so proud!"

I blushed and looked at my sword again. Instantly, I broke out into a smile. "Yeah…"

Yoruichi looked at me. "I see you finally found out its name."

I nodded and looked up at her. "Hey, uh, Yoruichi, Kisuke…?"

They both looked at me, and my blush deepened. "What is it?"

"Um… I know the last time was a complete failure, and I understand if you don't want to do it again, but…" I gripped my sword tighter and lifted it up slightly, smiling. "Would you please try teaching me again…?"

"Hmm…" Yoruichi mused.

"I don't want to learn how to fight anymore," I said, gazing up at their confused faces. "I want to learn how to defend."

Yoruichi gazed at me before looking at Kisuke. "Things went well according to plan, eh?" Kisuke grinned.

"Yeah, it went very well, actually."

I sheathed my sword, and at the same time felt the immediate burst of reiatsu dissipate. "Huh?"

Yoruichi patted my head. "We'll explain later. Meet us in the basement of the shop tomorrow at noon, okay?"

A smile burst out on my face. "Thank you both so much!" I flung my arms up around their necks. "You're amazing!"

"We know, we know," Kisuke modestly said, patting my back. "Let's get you back home, then, shall we? You're soaked."

I smiled and nodded, grabbing both of their hands and proceeding to lead them off.

_( I'm so glad you finally know my name! )_

'_I'm so glad you're back.' _I smiled. _'It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Raiuta.'_

There was a smirk. _( Likewise, Master. )_

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

* * *

**A/N:** Raiuta = _roughly or something to the effect of_ "thunder song." Sorry for everyone fluent in Japanese—I'm completely and utterly American who doesn't know Japanese, or anyone else who does! :D

First of all… YES I KNOW THERE'S NO TOUSHIROU. TWO CHAPTERS WITHOUT HIS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT PRESENCE IS DEPRIVING ME TOO! … Which is why he's appearing again in the next chapter. ;) So send in those reviews, everyone!

Secondly, that concludes chapter 43! Wow, chapter 43—isn't that crazy?

What will happen now that Megumi has finally met Raiuta? What kind of powers does Raiuta possess? Will Megumi be able to control them?! And what in the world is Yasuo trying to do with the people he's kidnapping? And why does it seem like Yuu doesn't remember being human…? All this and more will be answered in the next installments of Furareta! So stay tuned, folks! I know most of you are concerned with what kind of steps I'm going to be taking to prevent Megumi from being a Mary-Sue, and I'm telling you guys, I'm scared to death of taking those steps! I want, as much and more so than you guys do, for Megumi to be as original and un-Mary-Sue as I can possibly make her. However, I can assure you that she will be, by no means, powerful. I already have the main gist of what the next chapter's going to be about—it's almost completed, actually—so I'm being extra cautious from here on! I love Megumi too much to ruin her…

Because I'm updating several days early, I didn't think I'd get many reviews—but boy was I wrong! Man, I love you guys… You're all too amazing to me.

**xXxByAkUyA-FaNxXx, Mournful Storms, Dragon of Twilight, HeadstrongNozomi, Mai, D R A G O N L I L I E S, Tateno Atsukino, xxkandii, ember-chan, Riku727, The Rain Collector, CRdragonPyro, BionicLemon, Claamchowder, Uchiha Sasha, I'm a Reader, aminea88, 13Lulu's, dokuki, Ikara-o-Kage, FrozenIceCream, kaito142, -lazy llama-, NeferNeferi, .., jennyz, Immortal Eden, iv, fanny-kun, viettvnt, My Ashland, jazzmin92, Hikari6007, erina destiny, Oshima zakura, -Not, LadyChaos2011, HANYAxtaiga, Aqua4, Kukino3, Kaiyt, Miyukiume Tamiko, pinkatailmon, SunsetRainbow, Satupilvi, , hyourin-kusabana, Mari Ferolla, steel-alchemist, xXxAiriinxXx, sAppHiRa-hiMe, frowninggivesyouwrinkles, Naruto-Lover227, NamineNasha, CrieLaw13, ValkyrieX, Shanni-chan, lill'goddess, haku fan1, Crimson, iWolf, Afiercebeauty, .Oblivious, makoko, BLACKROCKER (WELCOME NEW REVIEWER!), KurokamiHaruhi, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you all!**

I'm planning for another quick update, so get those reviews in! ;)

Love ya'll!

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo

**PS:** Yeah… What would you guys say if I were to change my pen name?


	44. Strengths Versus Weaknesses

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Oh my goodness, I am absolutely IN LOVE with how quickly you guys review! 63 reviews in just one day! You guys make me feel so… SPECIAL. Sniff sniff, I think you guys are actually going to inspire me to write an actual book some day. :) But before that thought even starts, I have to get Furareta done! I'm on a roll with these quick updates! Remember, back in the early chapters of this story (like chapters 1-20), I would update almost every other day? History repeats itself! Hahaha. Yeah, not funny. Anyways, thank you all **SO MUCH** for the reviews. It's really driving me! n___n

Now enough of my chit-chat (for now); onto the story, because you all deserve it! ;)

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y – F O U R :**  
_"Strengths Versus Weaknesses"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

_( Megumi-chan, _wake up right now_! Stop being a lazy bum! It's getting late! Remember that you have training today! )_

"Go away, Raiuta," I murmured, my voice muffled by my pillow. Popping one groggy eye open, I took in the time from my clock, and promptly groaned. I rolled over and faced the wall opposite the direction of the window. "Geez, it's only nine o'clock! Can't I have just one more hour?" I growled as I buried myself cozily under the blanket.

_( You are the laziest person I have ever met! )_

'_Shut _up_! You _are _me, stupid!'_

Truth be told, the week where Raiuta had disappeared was the week where I barely got any sleep. I stayed up for as long as I could in case she suddenly decided to talk to me (I had convinced myself that she had a time of day limit at night for some reason—desperate, I know), so I sacrificed some sleep just in case she came back. Naturally, I didn't tell her either. This past night was the first night that I was able to sleep nice and soundly; and she even left my dreams alone, letting me doze in peace.

After the said hour passed (rather, forty-five minutes—it took me a while to shut the stupid unicorn up), I awoke peacefully, for the most part, to the sunlight streaming through my window. It was certainly a drastic change from the thunderstorm last night. I sat up and yawned. It's a good thing Yoruichi didn't set the training at five again… I don't think I would've made it. I swung my legs off the bed and quickly got ready.

"It's nice outside," I sighed, pushing open my window and deeply inhaling the scent of fresh air. "Hey Raiuta, are you a lightning element zanpakutou?" I asked, remembering still how different this weather was from last night.

_( What was your first clue? )_ She mocked.

"That's really neat…" I murmured, staring out absently. "No wonder you like thunderstorms so much. You were the one that made it storm last night, huh?"

_( I like thunderstorms, okay? And I was really excited when you finally unclogged your ears and decided to listen to me. )_

I giggled. "Raiuta, Raiuta, Raiuta… You have a pretty name."

_( Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? )_ She asked suspiciously, although I could tell she was flustered.

"Geez, give me a break. I haven't heard from you in a week! You really had me worried—I thought you had disappeared forever."

_( I went through the same thing though, and I'm not getting all sentimental and compliment-friendly… )_

"Not exactly. You could hear me—I couldn't hear you at all."

_( Megumi-chan, even if you can't hear me, it's not like I disappeared. In that case, I would say that I was… blocked out. I'm you, Megumi-chan—and unless you go insane or something, you're not going to lose me easily. )_

I grinned. _'I missed you lots.'_

_( What, can't say it out loud? ) _I repeated it out loud, and she laughed lightly. _( Geez, you're such a girl. I missed you too. )_

"It's still early. I think I'll go play some piano…"

* * *

For convenience sake, I left my body out with the shop before meeting Yoruichi and Kisuke below. They were waiting patiently for me, chatting about something I couldn't make out—but they stopped as soon as they saw me descend from the hole. I actually took the ladder down this time, since I didn't think either of them would catch me…

"Ready for some pain?" Yoruichi asked as I trotted up to them, in black kimono and all.

"Almost," I said, "I have two questions. First of all, what did you mean last night when you said 'the plan went well'?"

Kisuke grinned and Yoruichi's lips curled into her beautiful cat-like smile. She placed her fists on her hips. "I know you don't know me very well, Megumi, but I'm not one to give up—even if my pupils have." She bent down to my level and looked me straight in the eye. "If someone asks me to teach them something, I keep at them, even if it means giving up on them in the process."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"You see, Megumi-chan, we knew from the very start that you probably would end up quitting that first day," Kisuke spoke up. "Yoruichi-san and I both have trained the delightful Kurosaki Ichigo, and we know that you're nothing like him. Good heavens, compared to him you're like an innocent little lamb while he's a carnivorous and blood-thirsty bear. He's a natural at doing violent things, and you're not. However, he was also mentally prepared for what he was asking for; you were not. Unlike him, you've never been exposed to a fight in which you've actually had to defend yourself, _by_ yourself. And, if I may be quite blunt… You couldn't hurt a fly, Megumi-chan, even if you tried." Yoruichi laughed at that.

I didn't think that was funny.

_( I did! )_

"Wait, wait, wait." I held up my hands and stepped back, now glaring at them. They stared at me innocently. "So you hounded me, saying you were going to kill me, knowing that I would quit?"

"Exactly!" Kisuke said, whipping out his fan and proceeding to fan himself. "You aren't fighting material, Megumi-chan. Anyone could tell that by just looking at you. We needed to get you to realize that your strength as a Shinigami—or a person, for that matter—doesn't come from _fighting_ for yourself, but from _protecting_ others."

I was slowly beginning to understand. "So you let me go to learn that."

"Bingo. And just last night we got to witness a majestic display of that zanpakutou of yours! It's quite unusual, I must say… Nonetheless, it was a delightful result after a week of waiting."

"But how did you know where my strength would lie? I didn't even know," I murmured.

"All of your shows of your source of strength were revealed whenever you went out of your way to protect someone—or at least tried to," he shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Even if I haven't the slightest idea what powers your zanpakutou might hold, I guarantee that whatever it is, its power lies in protection because, well—that's what you do."

"In other words, if you were to ever be a Shinigami of rank, you'd most definitely be somewhere in Division 4," Yoruichi added, crossing her arms.

I blinked. "Division 4…?"

"Never mind. What was your other question?"

"Oh yeah." I blushed, suddenly feeling awkward. "So about this uniform…" I murmured, tugging absently at one of my sleeves. "I'm not a big fan of these sleeves… They're big and comfy, but there's just something about them. I know it's weird, but they kind of annoy me. Can I cut them off…?" I had actually thought to modify it before coming, but I didn't know if there were any consequences—like every sleeve cut off took, like, a quarter of your potential power away.

… It could happen…

Kisuke and Yoruichi both laughed, and the former man grabbed his staff. I stared at them blankly when, in the blink of an eye, there were a couple slashes and my sleeves fell to the ground. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, feeling my arms which were, thankfully, still attached. "How did you do that?!"

Kisuke winked, sheathing his sword. "Why, I'm Urahara Kisuke, of course."

"Release your shikai, Megumi," Yoruichi said. It was business time.

I nodded. "Resound, Raiuta." The familiar bright light and burst of energy erupted as I drew my zanpakutou, still shining in its golden glory.

I blinked. Did I say 'resound?' What in the world?! That was weird—the word just slipped. _'Resound?'_

_( That's my release phrase! )_

'_Release phrase?'_

_( It's something you say whenever you use me. )_

I made a face.

"Raiuta, is it?" Kisuke repeated. "Thunder song… How interesting. That would explain the thunderstorm last night. So your zanpakutou has weather-controlling abilities as well?"

"Um… maybe? I don't know… I've only wielded her once. And what do you mean, 'as well'? Does yours control weather?"

"No, no, no," he laughed. "Hitsugaya-taichou's zanpakutou controls weather. Have you forgotten?"

I stared at him blankly, trying to swallow the name without looking pathetic. "Oh yeah… I remember."

Was it just me, or was he giving me a very specific look?

"We'll find out its abilities once we see it in action," Yoruichi said, looking me over. Her eyes stuck to my feet. "Hmm… You're wearing slippers."

I blinked at her and glanced down at my yellow slippers. I forgot that I had changed into them last night after that walk; the sandals were hurting my feet, and these were much comfier. "Uh… yeah, I am. Is that bad?"

"No, it just means that you're supposed to be agile. Most Shinigami wear sandals."

"I forgot about that…"

Wow, I didn't know that something like shoes on a person could tell someone else that they had a specific trait. Or maybe Yoruichi was just too observant. "And you don't like having sleeves," she noted. "You're definitely nothing like her, but you remind me of Soi Fon."

Kisuke laughed. "Oh, you mustn't joke like that, Yoruichi-san."

"Soi Fon?" I repeated. It sounded foreign—Chinese? "Who's that?"

"She's the ruthless captain of the Shinigami Division 2, also known as the Stealth Forces," Yoruichi replied with a proud smile. "I used to be her captain," she added with even more pride.

"You were a captain of that division?"

"Yep, and Kisuke here was the captain of Division 12, AKA the Science and Research Division," she finished.

My eyes widened in awe. Wow—Yoruichi told me that she and Kisuke were Shinigami before, but I didn't know that they were captains, much less leaders of important forces! I wonder why they weren't captains anymore—or Shinigami, at that. That's really amazing… And I was the idiot that ran away from them when the going got tough? I was lucky to be able to be in their presence…

"Swing at me, if you would."

I glanced at Kisuke. "Swing at you?"

"Yes. I want to watch your zanpakutou's movements and maybe catch some of its attributes. Swing as hard as you can, okay?"

I didn't even know how to hold the sword properly, but I went at him. Raiuta really was light, almost lightweight—it was a big difference from that katana. As I swung down, Kisuke blocked it with his staff. And then something weird happened: since my sword was so light, I bounced back like a ball off a wall (nearly dropping my sword in the process) and lost my balance (no surprise there), but the impact of the collision of the blades released a boom—it sounded like crashing thunder—and emitted a wave that blew Kisuke back a couple feet.

"Interesting," Yoruichi said, watching my blade intently. "You're zanpakutou is very weird."

_( Did she just call me weird?! )_

I fought back a smile.

She walked up to me. "Your sword is so light that you could hold it in one hand. What do you know about katana, Megumi?"

"Not much…"

"Katana are swords that samurai used. At first I thought that your zanpakutou was one, since it has the characteristics of one… But yours is actually an uchigatana, which is the predecessor of the katana." I blinked at her explanation. Like I was supposed to know the differences between them? "Uchigatana blades have more curvature than katana blades and have the sharpened tip at the top. It was developed to increase speed in battle. Your sword, Megumi, rather than focusing on power or brute strength like the katana, centers on speed." She stepped beside me and grabbed my scabbard, shifting it around. "For the uchigatana, the unsheathing of the sword and striking are one in the same actions, so it would be better if you wore it like this."

Well, that was different. I felt along the new position, getting used to it. Before, it was sitting like any other sword with the edge down, but now it was so that the edge faced up. It was basically a reversed way of how you would wear a katana. I've never seen a sword worn like that before—and it looked kind of weird. "This is… different," I admitted, tracing my finger along it.

"Try it out," Yoruichi encouraged me. "Sheath her and draw her out again. Try and make it a striking motion as well as a brandishing one."

It was hard enough getting Raiuta back in the scabbard.

"Um, okay. Like this…?" I grabbed the hilt and yanked it out, swinging it vertically. Yoruichi and Kisuke stood there, but a sudden blast of wind tossed their hair back. Kisuke plopped a hand over his head to keep his hat. I blinked. What was that?

Yoruichi was grinning… in excitement? "What did you notice?"

"It's a lot quicker," I said. "I don't have to reposition the sword." I stared at them in confusion. "And the wind…?"

"After being in the presence of your dazzling—literally—sword for almost twenty minutes, I can conclude that your zanpakutou is, in every essence, a defensive weapon," Kisuke replied, whipping out his fan again. "It throws a sonic boom when struck against, forcing your opponent back and away—but that wasn't enough for dear Raiuta. Since she's so light, she doesn't fare well against head-on collisions, so she bounces back while the sonic boom is released. You almost lost grip of your sword when you struck me, didn't you?" I nodded. He pointed to the hilt. "That's what that wrist strap is for: to keep you connected to your sword."

At that realization, I quickly equipped said wrist strap. "Wow, this is complicated." But I loved it, for some reason—it was like I was getting to know Raiuta.

"Another thing," Yoruichi added. "There was turbulence because your sword, apparently, slices through air. Its weight is its greatest advantage; it allows for very fast movements. If you swing it fast and sufficiently enough, it throws a shock wave of sorts. It's weak right now and disappeared quickly, but after enough training, it will be formidable for long-range attacks as well as defense—and as you grow closer to your zanpakutou, the turbulence will probably get stronger."

"… You figured all this out already?" I didn't even have a clue.

"What can we say? It's easy to read, just like you are," Kisuke said with a smile.

"Being easily read isn't a good thing though," Yoruichi sighed. "So to make up for it, I'm going to teach you some not-so-easy-to-read things."

"Sounds fun," I honestly said.

"I'd rather you learn through experience… But knowing you, I should warn you beforehand." Yoruichi grinned playfully. "Your sword's weight and characteristics is an attribute that you can use to defend yourself excellently—but it's also your greatest weakness."

"Really?"

She grabbed my hand that was wielding Raiuta and moved it around. "It allows you to move and swing faster, but it won't last long when pit against a heavier weapon… Which is basically any other weapon in existence."

"And it doesn't help when Raiuta won't let you stay close to your opponent long enough. She bounces back whenever she's hit. So, in other words, she is useless if you actually want to fight," Kisuke offered.

_( He just called me _useless_! Darn, _I_ didn't even know this stuff about myself! )_

'_Tell me about it…'_

_( I don't like that they know so much about me. Are you sure they're trustworthy? )_

I smiled. _'One of the most trustworthy people out there.'_

"She's strictly a defensive weapon, designed for fast movements, making quick getaways, and maybe landing some lucky hits with that shock wave," Yoruichi said. "It would be stupid for you to take on a fight alone, so don't even try it."

Okay, so Raiuta wasn't made for actual fighting, but for protecting. That I liked. What I didn't like…

"So… Basically, I still have to depend on other people to fight for me?" I asked, almost dejectedly.

"Didn't you say you wanted to defend, and not to fight?" Kisuke asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not protecting someone when they're fighting for me…"

"Says who?" Yoruichi asked. "Megumi, you're basically a shield. Teamed with someone who excels in offense, you would be ultimately useful."

But I still won't get to kick butt… There's nothing impressive about being able to throw off enemies and run away.

"Think about this: if you were to actually fight someone, could you actually hurt them?"

My eyes widened at the question and I looked up at Kisuke. "I… never thought about that," I said, blinking. To be honest, I wasn't sure. Could I actually hurt someone? "Probably not…"

"See? So you're in your own alley here," Yoruichi said with a grin. "And who knows? Maybe you'll discover even more things about what Raiuta can do."

"Or can't," Kisuke piped in.

_( I'm starting to not like this guy… )_

I nodded understandingly. "Any more observations?" I asked almost sarcastically.

"I have a question, actually," Kisuke almost immediately replied. "I've been watching and waiting, thinking it was also some defensive attribute as well, but… What is that gourd for?" He motioned towards my other hip.

"Oh, I almost forgot about it," I admitted, patting the golden thing. "I'm not exactly sure, but I think it heals me…" When I saw their "I'm not surprised but keep going" expressions, I explained to them what happened the night before. I showed them the places where I had fallen and scratched myself, which now looked completely healthy.

"Interesting… So it heals your wounds?" Kisuke said. "I've seen second additions to a zanpakutou, but I must say that a gourd… That's new. Does it heal any wound?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure…" And I really didn't want to test it, either.

"Definitely a Division 4 Shinigami," Yoruichi sighed.

"And is that… blood collected inside?" Kisuke asked, his eyes still observing the gourd.

I glanced down and, sure enough, I could see a small layer of the blood it had absorbed from my wound swirling around inside. "I think so," I shrugged.

"Hmm," Kisuke murmured, deep in thought.

"What?" I asked, blinking.

He looked up at me, smiling. "Oh, it's nothing. Let's get started with your training then, eh?"

_( He knows something. Or at least he's thinking something. )_

'_I know. If it's connected to you, he'll tell me eventually. Don't you know what the gourd is for?'_

_( I'm your zanpakutou, Megumi-chan, but I know as much as you do when it comes to my abilities… )_

'_Well, I must say I was expecting something more… violent when it came to your powers.'_

_( I am not violent! Ladies aren't violent! )_

I held back a snort.

"Let's start with the basics," Yoruichi said, taking the cue. "Lesson number one: how to properly hold a sword."

I hung my head. I knew I was doing it wrong…

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

"Is that everything, Hitsugaya-kun?"

"Yes. Thank you, Hinamori."

She lightly touched my arm, forcing me to look up at her. Her dark cocoa eyes inspected mine briefly before she asked, "How are you feeling?"

I looked away. Stupid girl—she could read me perfectly. I snatched my arm away. "Fine," I admitted, although I was extremely tired. The dead line for the paperwork was tonight, and Hinamori offered to help me finish them since a certain lazy vice-captain of mine conveniently disappeared. I swear, the next time a load of paperwork comes I will freeze her slothful behind to the chair and force her to work until she got frostbite.

I could hear her screaming for mercy now…

I rose up to take the stacks to Division 1, but Hinamori stopped me as she expertly scooped up the piles of paperwork out of my reach. "I'll deliver this and report in for you. Go relax and eat something, okay? I'm sure one of these divisions has some watermelons to spare for you!"

I scowled at her as she perkily skipped right on out of the office, giving me a wink just before the door closed. I couldn't help but reveal a small smile seconds after she left. Only she knew how to cheer me up so quickly.

Sitting back and doing absolutely nothing for once reminded me how good it felt to not be busy. The bad thing was I didn't know what to do with myself.

_( Hinamori said it herself; you should go out and relax, Master. )_

'_Let me just sit here for a while,'_ I replied absently, staring around at random areas of the office. _'I can't remember the last time I've been in here and had the time to look around my own office.'_

_( Yes, staring at your paperwork for the entire day was getting a bit… )_

'Extremely _dull,'_ I finished for him, staring in awe at my spotless desk. All right, I was done scrutinizing the room. Maybe I'll go hunt down Matsumoto and—

_( I never knew you to be a sadist, Master. )_

'_Don't tell me that you haven't had at least _one_ thought about how satisfying—and reasonable—it would be to strangle her.'_

_( … )_

'_That's what I thought.'_ No one is as lazy as that woman—and if I ever meet one…

I found myself stepping out, my mind completely uninhabited, and I started in a random direction around the divisions.

"Good evening, Hitsugaya-taichou!"

I glanced up at Ukitake, who was smiling warmly at me. He looked like he was taking a stroll, like I was. I dipped my head briefly. "Ukitake-taichou," I replied, staring at him suspiciously. If he gives me any more candy—

"I haven't seen you in a while," Ukitake said. "Are you in a hurry?"

"I just finished some paperwork, so I'm taking a break," I explained, wondering if he was trying to get at something.

"Wonderful," he said. "We have a captain's meeting coming up soon, don't we?"

I nodded. "Did you forget?"

He smiled. He knew I suspected something. "Indeed I did. It's something to look forward to, isn't it? Things have become a little boring around here, don't you think?"

"Yes… I suppose," I murmured, unsure of how to respond. Did he want me to say something?

"I haven't been to the human world in so long, but the soutaichou is sending me there in a few weeks for a quick look around. I'm excited," he said with a wider grin. I almost smiled. This man was so strange. Suddenly he came closer and whispered, "I'll try to sneak back some candy for you, Hitsugaya-taichou. Is there anything you favor?"

… So that's what he was getting at.

I almost fell over.

-+-+-+-+-+-

"_Happy belated birthday," Minamoto Hikaru said as we met in the sky. It had been four days after my birthday—four days after I had made an action that was now irreversible. "Did you have a good one?"_

_The look I gave him was skeptical, and I wondered what he had hidden up his sleeve. "What do you want?"_

_His spiteful gaze hardened on my face. "I saw what happened." He paused. At his tone, both his body and mine became as rigid as steel. "You kissed her."_

_My jaw clenched, and I didn't say anything._

"_I'm not a Shinigami," he continued, disregarding my poisonous glare. "But I know the consequences of emotions between a human and Shinigami. I've seen it." Nagasuki Metsuki. That's who he was talking about. Nagasuki had told me the story after her death. "Death, sorrow, separation—all of it links."_

_I didn't say or do anything but glare._

_Minamoto didn't back down. "Unless you're some heartless imbecile, you have feelings for Megumi." It was a statement, a declaration. "So do I." He paused again. "Listen, I could care less about you. But Megumi really likes you." His bright blue eyes narrowed into slits, threatening and impulsive as they focused hard on me. I glared him down. "If _anything _happens to her…" His voice lowered. "I won't hesitate to retaliate ten-fold."_

I woke up that night at two in the morning, wide awake. Staring up at the ceiling with slightly rushed breaths, I sat up to make sure I was in a bed and not hovering somewhere in the sky.

I never thought I'd be dreaming about that talk again… and until now, I had completely forgotten about it.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

* * *

**A/N:** The scene from Toushirou's dream refers back to chapter 36, when Hikaru leaves Megumi's room and confronts Toushirou in the sky—and Megumi was freaking out about it. :D

When I first started writing Furareta, I was **so scared** that I would accidentally turn Megumi into a Mary-Sue. This is probably the chapter that I got the most nervous about writing, because the powers I decide to give Megumi (as well as how quickly she adapts to them) may very well decide whether she's going to end up as Little Miss Perfect. But the really tricky thing about having a Shinigami OC is the fact that as a Shinigami, Megumi is supposed to have some cool powers… as well as flaws. I already had her flaws listed before I even wrote the chapter, but it was hard choosing what she would actually be GOOD at. Every character is supposed to have some redeeming attributes about them, but what most authors (including myself) don't realize is that we accidentally warp their characters into something that was so good it was unreal—creating the Mary-Sue. I don't believe that writers create "perfect characters" on purpose; and I don't think there's anything wrong with creating a character that's really good at some things, because that's just how some real-life people are.

Back in my very early stages of writing, I had Mary-Sues too. Heck, I think every author created a Mary-Sue in some point in their career. But that's what practice is for; even if you create a Mary-Sue, there's still hope for you! In fact, some people actually like perfect characters. I think Sherlock Holmes is perfect in every way, and I love him. Even Ichigo's on the brink of being a canon perfect character, but I still like him.

I guess what I'm trying to say is…

Aww heck. I don't even know anymore.

Yup, that proves how nervous I was writing this chapter, hahaha.

I guess what I was hoping to tell you through that whole thing was: if Megumi came across to you as a perfect character, that was **never** my intention. I don't believe that having a lot of good qualities is bad; but not having enough flaws to balance it out is really bad. Personally, I think I was able to evade giving Megumi the perfect powers for now—and believe me, it's a constant battle—and I'm actually really cool with this chapter.

And I hope you are too!

Phew. Snap, that took a lot of finger powers. :D Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter and the Toushirou-tidbit that I added. :) But the big question is… **WHEN WILL TOUSHIROU AND MEGUMI MEET AGAIN? WILL THEY EVER?** And the answer is… duh, of course they're going to see each other again! This is a HitsuOC fanfiction guys! As to the when…

Haha, that's my little secret. I will tell you that it's coming up quick though! The fastest way to find out is to review, review, review—and do it quick! Quick reviews give you quicker chapters!

You know guys, at this rate, Furareta will be completed by the end of the summer! Isn't that exciting? :D I actually can't wait to start on the sequel… I already know what I'm gonna do there, heehee.

And now, a word to my lovely reviewers:

**Indigoia, xXxAiriinxXx, RheaTheMeepoe, The Rain Collector, KurokamiHaruhi, My Ashland, Claamchowder, Satupilvi, iv, missy, Uchiha Sasha, NeferNeferi, Mournful Storms, , Dragon of Twilight, FrozenIceCream, Oshima zakura, Mai, makoko, Julie013, Shanni-chan, jennyz, CRdragonPyro, viettvnt, Naruto-Lover227, anime0angel, joster13, Aqua4, afiercebeauty, The Elemental Alchemist Reyna, Sakiru Yume, aminea88, I'm a Reader, Leopardstar, BionicLemon, kaito142, pinkatailmon, erina destiny, CrieLaw13, LadyChaos1011 (sorry I got it wrong last time!), jazzmin92, , BLACKROCKER, dokuki, -lazy llama-, Kukino3, Vangcorra, -Not, ember-chan, waterbluegirl1234, XxSilentMoonAngelxX, Hikari6007, HANYAxtaiga, lill'goddess, hyourin-kusabana, Onepiecewonder, icedragon205, ChidoriShiori, .Oblivious, aoitsuki77, steel-alchemist, Megumi Yunai, HeadstrongNozomi, THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL…**

Oh, and one more thing. I'm so happy you guys received Raiuta so well! I was nervous about creating her, too… first it was what she was going to be, what power she would have, what her name would be, and then what she could do… It was hard! Haha, but I'm glad you guys like her. I love writing her! She's so fun!

And I'm glad you all like her name too. I was scrambling around trying to figure out what the heck I was going to name her—and then I did some amateur Japanese research and put Rai and Uta together, thus forming Raiuta. Yes, I'm proud of my linguistic skills…

Anyways, thanks for reviewing and supporting everyone!

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!

PS: I think I'll keep the name Bayo-Bayo. I mean, I've had it for so long… and I should learn to stay consistent with things. So Bayo-Bayo I'll be! (For now)


	45. Dear Diary: Training with Yoruichi

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

I forgot to mention this last time but… WE FINALLY REACHED OVER 2000 REVIEWS GUYS! OVER 2100 REVIEWS NOW! Oh my goodness I'm so excited; and it was all thanks to YOU! Yes, YOU! :) (points out of the screen) YOU are the reason for Furareta's success! You guys are super amazing. :)

And my fast updating streak is still going on! I'm on a roll! :D I hope you all don't mind the blindingly fastness of it all… I don't know why, but whenever I finish a chapter I just can't WAIT to show it to you guys. I dunno, it's just a weird trait of mine…

But BEFORE you read the chapter… I must tell you that this chapter is written differently from the rest. It's not a drastic change, just kind of… different. Megumi's still the narrator and all, but this time we're reading what SHE'S writing. This whole chapter is a diary entry—a really long one, haha. So don't get confused when italics suddenly switch to normal and you have no idea what's going on. Technically, it SHOULD all be in italics, but looking at it for too long would make my eyes hurt… so it would probably make yours too. :)

Don't be confused if the writing seems jumbled and out of sequence; Megumi's not a very good writer. ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y – F I V E :**  
_"Dear Diary: Training with Yoruichi"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

_Dearest Diary,_

_So things have taken a drastic turn since the first day that I started to train with Yoruichi—you know, the day when I pathetically quit and ran away with my tail between my legs. Now that I've finally learned Raiuta's name, we were able to get my training underway… And I swear, after the morning I woke up after my first day of training, I could barely move out of bed! Everything hurt! Muscles that I didn't even know existed in some places were throbbing and burning as if there was a hot iron turned on in there! Needless to say, Raiuta found it very amusing._

_As I'm writing this write now, I've ended my sixth week of training. Yoruichi divided the themes of the training within the weeks; as in, she would focus on teaching me something for a week, and I would learn something new the next. It was a Monday-Friday thing starting at ten o'clock sharp each morning, and I could rest over the weekends. Each week—no, _day_—was an adventure under her, and I loved it. And… call me crazy, but I think Yoruichi and Kisuke look absolutely amazing together! (insert hearts here) I feel as if they've become my substitute parents!_

_Anyways, Yoruichi said that this coming week, she would teach me some higher-level kidou spells and continue working on flash-step, meaning that the toll taken on my body would be a little less than sword-training—thank heavens! I was so happy that I decided to enter it in a journal… And I'm so _awake_ right now that I'll record what I learned each week, along with maybe something else that happened during the week._

* * *

_( Week One )_

Week one: basic sword techniques—specifically swinging, blocking, and parrying.

"If you don't grip your sword tight enough, it'll get knocked out of your hands!"

I grunted as Yoruichi came down at me, her fist knocking against the flat part of my sword. Raiuta's defensive sonic boom erupted, blowing Yoruichi back and shooting me away. So we've already established the fact that Raiuta blows enemies away when struck, but another thing I've learned was that the boom was stronger depending on the intensity of the impact. So the harder they hit, the farther they're thrown back. But it worked the same way for me, too, and I still haven't gotten used to the whole "ricochet back" thing yet; I lost my balance every time.

"Better," Yoruichi stated as she walked up to me. She took my bandage-wrapped wrist in her hand and inspected it. "How's your wrist?"

I grinned and twisted it around. "Still one bone!"

Another thing I learned about myself, this time… My bones were weak. Maybe it was because I hated milk—I don't know—but my wrists were especially weak. The first time Yoruichi tried the whole "flying out of the air and smacking my sword" thing on me, I sprained one of my wrists. Heh heh, yeah… Can I help it if I'm a pathetic, fragile, and frail little girl?!

Anyway, Yoruichi had a kick over it, and Kisuke also thought it was really funny. Sadly enough, though, neither of them looked the least surprised…

Tessai, to my surprise, was a powerful kidou master and knew some handy healing spells, so I wasn't put out for too long. Something good came out of it, however: we affirmed that my gourd only absorbs wounds that spill blood. To keep from something like that happening again though, Yoruichi introduced my best friends, the bandages, to me. She said it was to help keep my wrist sturdy. So every day I would have to wear these bandages wrapped tightly around part of my forearm down to my knuckles. It was hard to get used to.

At the end of every week, Yoruichi held a "time of evaluation" where she would explain to me what I excelled at and what I… didn't excel at.

And Yoruichi wasn't exactly the beat-around-the-bush type of teacher.

"Your sword handling is sloppy, your balance is horrendous, your bones are weak, and you can't swing your zanpakutou without twirling around like a freaking ballerina," she said to me that Friday afternoon, just as we were finishing up.

Every comment was like an assortment of cooking utensils falling on my head, yet I accepted them. "Y-Yes… I'm sorry."

"But," she added, and then she paused. "Your feel for reiatsu is impressive. It's almost like you can tell exactly how strong an attack is going to be; and your reflexes aren't bad either, but they can be refined."

It was during this week that she told me what the Division 4 that she kept referring to was: they were basically the medics who sat on the back line of fights to provide support.

As much as I didn't mind being medic-material…

Yoruichi plopped a hand on my head and grinned at me. "You've potential, kid. Keep at it."

I smiled. "Right!"

And thus ended my first week.

* * *

_( Week Two )_

Second week: reiatsu control in the form of kidou.

I liked the fact that this week I didn't have to do any head-on combat—long-range was more my style, especially with Raiuta.

But this whole kidou thing was super exhausting!

"These incantations make absolutely _no_ sense," I murmured to myself as I screwed up on words again. I had spent a whole week learning these, and I was still getting tongue-tied. "Who made these things up anyway?"

"Oi! Speed it up over there!" Yoruichi impatiently shouted. She was standing several yards away from me, waiting for me to hit her with whatever spell I wanted to. She only taught me two so far—a binding spell and an attacking spell—but neither of them had gone as well as I wanted them to… She crossed her arms and sighed.

I steadied my feet into the ground and put my left palm over my right forearm, at the same time mumbling another incantation. "Hadou 4: White Lightning!" Heh, ironic that I would be using another lightning technique. I concentrated my reiatsu in my right palm, weighing the amount of energy I would put into it, and let it flow out of my hand. As hard as these were to accomplish, though, I really enjoyed doing kidou. I thought it was actually kind of fun—as if I had suddenly become a magician. It reminded me of those adventure stories my parents would read to me…

Yoruichi stared at my attack and swatted it away as if it were a fly. The lightning bounced from her counter, flying off into the sky and exploding into a rock. The cat woman watched the debris fly for a second before turning to me—and suddenly, she disappeared.

"Flash-step," I murmured. I could feel her reiatsu moving—and though she was fast, and frighteningly so, I could still, just barely, follow her. I readied my palm for another spell, concentrating on the spirit energy in the air.

_( There! )_

"Bakudou 1: First Restraint Obstruction!"

I smiled as I lowered my palm. "I got her!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Not bad," Yoruichi said as she easily squirmed out of my spell. I waited in front of her, expecting another harsh review. "Let's see… You're reflexes are getting faster, as is your reactions to different situations. You're still doing pretty decently at observing and controlling your reiatsu, as well."

I grinned giddily, despite the fact that I was panting like a dog.

"Hmm. I think reiatsu control might be one of your strengths. You're already exhausted for an attack so weak, though, so we'll need to work on that."

"Yeah… I'm beat," I sighed, leaning over on my knees.

"Next week we'll start refining your reiatsu skills—whatever that may be," Yoruichi said. "We'll practice your swordsmanship at the same time, which means that you're going to be a lot more tired from now on. Think you can handle it?"

Oh boy.

"Of course!" I said, pumping a fist. "I'll take on anything!"

Yoruichi stared at me and laughed.

"Atta girl."

And thus ended my second week of training.

* * *

_Before I go on, I guess I should put a little something here… an intermission, I guess._

_Mind you, after the second week of training, I had already grown used to the routine of training and I wasn't getting tired as much. Every day I would come to the basement at ten o'clock sharp. I would start out with some laps around the area—I started out doing five every day last week, and this week it was ten—and then some push-ups and crunches. Yoruichi was merciless when piling on the workouts too—if I so much as came one second slow of doing a certain drill in a certain amount of time, she'd make me do the whole thing again._

_Needless to say, I got whipped into shape pretty badly; and even Takuya-oji noticed one night when I came home._

"_Have you been exercising, Megumi-chan?" he asked, tipping his glasses down a bit as I tumbled in. "I noticed you began gaining… muscle?" He seemed unsure as to what term to use to describe the foreign objects on my arms and legs that were muscles._

_You have no idea, I wanted to say, but I simply smiled at him. "Oh, you know those store-keeping jobs! Kisuke had me moving all the time—brooming and dusting and all!" And then I would promptly scurry on up to my room and instantly fall asleep._

_As challenging as it all was, though, I was having a lot of fun. I knew learning something as difficult as this would be hard and painful, but I never thought that I would actually have a good time doing it._

_Heh, just wait until the next three weeks, though…_

_

* * *

_

_( Week 3 )_

Week three: defensive attacks and higher-level kidou spells.

This week, Yoruichi had Jinta, Ururu, and Mimi help with the training. They all formed a triangle around me, and on Yoruichi's command, they would rush me. Within that time, I would need to discover a way to defend against all three of them at the same time and then attack.

I failed the first couple times, resulting in extra laps around the basement, but I was ready to get back in there and try again (And it may have just been me, but Usacho seemed to enjoy beating me up).

The third try was a charm.

I was already all scratched up and exhausted by the time this started, but there was one thing I remembered: swinging my sword throws a shock wave of sorts—meaning, why wait for a collision to blow them back? Or even better, I could trip them!

As they all rushed me for the third time, I bent low to the ground, and did a funky-looking twirl with my sword. Thanks to Raiuta's weight, it was easy to spin her around for a long time; and I realized that with the continual swipe of the sword, there would be continual waves shooting from the blade.

I tried to incorporate this into tripping them. If I was bent low enough, and my swipe was precise, I might be able to send a wave strong enough to throw them off balance.

And low and behold, it worked! … On Jinta and Usacho, anyway. But I'd rather defend myself against one person manually rather than three. I blocked Ururu's attack and I jumped back, murmuring an incantation. Thanks to Raiuta's wrist strap, I could just let her hang off my elbow while I performed some kidou.

"Hadou 31: Shakkahou!"

This was one of the higher-level spells Yoruichi had Tessai teach me. It was a spell meant for higher-level Shinigami who had a good grasp on kidou, but she insisted that I use it since she was confident in how I controlled my reiatsu; this was the second time I'd tried it.

The first time… well, that didn't end up very well—I kind of almost lost my arm.

Shakkahou was a spell where a big ball of energy would form in your hand and blast towards the enemy. It was really cool-looking, but it took a lot out of you—and was really hard to control. I could barely keep my arm straight as I shot it and the pressure was straining on my wrists. Plus, it basically drained me of energy.

Out of sheer luck, though, a tiny ball flew forward and exploded on them. I finally won.

"It's about time," Jinta murmured as he cleared some rubble from his eyes. "Sheesh, that one kind of hurt."

"You did it, Megumi-chan!" Ururu murmured, completely unscathed.

Mimi didn't say anything as Usacho bounded back to her.

"Nice thinking," Yoruichi commented as she landed before me. "I was wondering what you'd do to get them. The kidou could use some help…"

I was rubbing my wrists as she spoke. "Yeah, that one actually stung a little," I admitted. There was still smoke in front of my palm where the energy ball was formed.

"I'm impressed, though," Yoruichi said. "You're adapting well to kidou. Your reiatsu experience is growing little by little, but you can control it all the same." She grinned and patted my head again. Apparently that became a habit for whenever I did something well. "Good job."

After that, we continued with another drill.

By the end of the week, I was actually excited to hear my progress report; for the first time, I think I did okay this week.

"You're coming along well with your kidou, as expected," Yoruichi said. "Your swordsmanship still needs a lot of help, but you're barely surviving. Don't worry about it too much though, because that's not going to be a strong spot no matter how much we work on it…"

I giggled sheepishly.

She smiled. "You're improving. Next week, I'll teach you something fun."

* * *

_( Week Four )_

Week four: flash-step and air-walking.

As soon as she told me what I'd be learning, I was ecstatic. At the remembrance of how invigorating it felt to travel at nearly light speed, I was just itching to learn how to do it on my own.

"Flash-stepping and walking on air takes consistent control of reiatsu—so much so that it'll need to become subconscious to you—but I think you can handle it," Yoruichi said. "We'll see how agile you are."

"Okay," I said as I tried to mask my excitement.

Kisuke told me earlier that Yoruichi is considered The Goddess of Flash since she's mastered everything there is to know about the skill. Knowing that intimidated me a little bit, since I didn't know what she expected out of me. I mean, I guess I was okay with my reiatsu and everything, but I didn't know how difficult it might be to learn.

Speaking of Kisuke… He was talking to me earlier this morning, before I went down to train.

"Good morning, Megumi-chan!" Kisuke said in a sing-song voice as I appeared punctually at his shop.

"Morning, Kisuke," I smiled as I saw him. He never failed to greet me so enthusiastically every time I appeared.

"I have a favor to ask of you," he said as I walked up to him. I had already gotten into my Shinigami form, and my body was wandering around the store aimlessly. "Would you mind if I took your mysterious little gourd there for examining while you train? I've been dying to discover what it can do," he said. He was like a little boy eying his favorite candy as he looked at the gourd on my hip.

"Sure," I said, handing it to him. By then it had collected a fair amount of my wounds inside; it was almost halfway of the way full of my blood. It was kind of freaky, to be honest...

"Hmm—normal weight, normal size," he observed as he carefully rolled it in his hands. He worked on the cork that clogged the top. "Ugh! The cork is pushed in tight, haha…"

I stared at him. "Here, let me see…" He handed the gourd to me, and I popped it open. It barely resisted. There was a short, awkward pause before I handed it to him. "Uh, here you go!"

Kisuke, however, didn't look the least bit surprised. He smiled as he took both the gourd and the cork from me. "Seems you have a magical touch, Megumi-chan."

I grinned nervously before trotting off to the basement, although I stared at the gourd for a little while as I left.

'_Are you sure you have no idea what it does?'_

_( My guess is as good as yours! Bucket-hat Man will find out eventually, though. )_

I didn't have any guesses to what else it could do but heal my wounds, though. Hmm…

Oh well.

Anyway, back to flash-stepping.

It sounded like an easy concept to understand: concentrate my reiatsu in my feet and focus on high-speed movements. It _sounded_ easy.

Doing it first-time, on the other hand, sent me flying face-first into the side of a mountain. I think I left a permanent mark of my body there.

"Okay, that's not exactly what I was expecting," I murmured pathetically. I rubbed my probably broken nose.

"You were able to do it pretty fast on your first try. You have to have really good control over your reiatsu and quick responses to the scenery change—as you experienced," Yoruichi explained as she bandaged a cut over my eyebrow. We visited the shop briefly so she could get some bandages. Without my gourd, nothing was healing me. I normally wouldn't expect her to be willing to bandage her students; I guess I was wrong for thinking she was a ruthless, cruel and uncaring teacher. I stared at her as she finished patching me up.

Shihouin Yoruichi—she's gorgeous. Dark skinned, dark-haired, and those orange eyes that threw everything off—I was so envious. She's got to be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"You're really pretty, Yoruichi-sensei," I murmured absent-mindedly as I stared at her.

She was surprised at the random compliment, but she quickly recomposed herself and smiled with a small chuckle. It might have just been me… But was she embarrassed? "Thanks, kid," she replied, patting me on the cheek. Could it be that she doesn't get compliments like that often? "Let's work a little more on your shunpo and we'll move on to air-walking."

I jumped up. "Yes ma'am!"

We spent a couple more hours working on flash-step, but it was a lot harder than it looked—but it was less draining than kidou was, thankfully… That is, unless you went at it consistently.

In that case, flash-step was torture.

Air-walking was so much easier, and I caught on quickly. It was almost like flash-stepping, only you concentrated on creating ground to stand on in the air with your own reiatsu. We didn't have to spend too much time doing that.

Kisuke asked for my gourd that entire week and continued studying it, but he still wouldn't tell me what he thought about it—he said he'd wait until he was sure he knew what it did.

"Not bad this week, Megumi," Yoruichi commented that Friday. "You've caught onto flash-step and air-walking pretty well. You're endurance isn't bad for your build, either; I say I can have you do fifty flash-steps without breaking a sweat after two weeks."

"Fifty?!" I exclaimed, my eyes bulging. Right now I could barely do three without keeling over. "Are you serious?"

Imagine all the running she'll make me do…

"Would I kid?" Yoruichi rolled her eyes. She saw the look of sheer terror on my face and laughed, smacking me hard on the back. "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

I caught my balance before I could fall. "Huh? Really?!"

"Geez, you make me sound like some heartless witch," she laughed.

I laughed as an idea came to mind. I smirked. "I challenge you, Goddess of Flash, to a race to the ladders!"

By the time I had done one step, though, Yoruichi was already waving to me at the ladder. "For losing, we can split the cost!" she shouted, her beautiful smile playing on her lips.

I pouted as I ran.

"Awww!"

* * *

_( Week Five )_

Week five: putting it all together—swordfight, kidou, flash-step, and air-walking.

This week was—by far—the hardest week of training I'd had to do yet, and Yoruichi was merciless. Apparently she was being serious about me mastering fifty flash-steps; she doubled my laps at the beginning of the week, totaling in fifty each day. Haha, fifty laps for fifty flash steps…

As painful as it was, though—and as much as my legs pleaded amputation every day—it was working. My endurance was lasting longer, and by the middle of the week I could do five flash-steps without feeling tired at all.

But once she started combining everything I learned so far, my endurance began to slip… And Kisuke still had my gourd.

"Think faster, Megumi—Yasuo won't wait for you," Yoruichi said as she came at me with a kick.

I blocked it with a swing of my sword. By this time I had finally gotten used to being shot back, so I flew into the air and landed smoothly on my feet. Yoruichi stared up at me; she was going to flash-step. I flash-stepped as soon as she did, and her feet and my blade collided in mid-air; she flew up, and I was thrown down. I caught my balance by doing a flip. My time on the ground was cut short though as I jumped back, murmuring a familiar incantation. "Bakudou 1: First Restraint Obstruction!"

"Nope," she declined, immediately breaking out of the seal. "That may work on Hollows, but it won't work on Yasuo. Come on!"

I growled. Tessai taught me the higher level restraint, but I didn't know if I could do that one yet—not without it completely draining me, anyway. Let's see… If I were to use a Hadou technique—White Lightning—she would reflect it somewhere else. There might be an opening... Well, it was worth a shot. Another incantation was murmured.

"Hadou 4: White Lightning!"

She looked disappointed. "Who do you think I am, Megumi?" she sighed, raising her hand.

It was barely there, but I saw it.

I flash-stepped so I was right next to her, murmuring an incantation the whole way. "Hadou 31: Shakkahou!"

Her eyes widened as soon as she saw me, and she managed to slip away—but I managed to burn a little of her shirt. "Aww man," I murmured as I slipped back to the ground, where she was patting a little spark that had erupted on her shoulder.

"Wow, you almost got me," she said with honest surprise. She gave me a smirk. "It was a common strategy, but I wasn't expecting that from you. Good job."

I smiled at her.

The whole five days, Yoruichi focused on refining each skill I had learned; and on some techniques more than others. She really liked how fast I was moving along with the flash-steps, so she really hammered it in there; I blame it on her own love for flash-stepping. I had to admit, though, it was amazingly invigorating.

"You're doing well, Megumi," Yoruichi said on Friday. "Your reflexes are a lot better, along with your endurance and shunpo. Remember what I said about your possible strength being reiatsu control?"

I nodded.

"I can see it in your flash-step too, since you're doing better in shunpo. You're getting a lot faster." She grinned. "Maybe someday I can start teaching you shunko… But that's not until a long ways away. But other than that, you're doing well. Have you noticed you haven't been as clumsy?"

My grin widened. Yes, this training conquered my clumsiness. "You're not going to criticize me?"

She stared at me. "Well… Your swordsmanship still sucks."

I shouldn't have asked. "… Oh."

She laughed. "If you have weaknesses, you have to increase your strengths in order to make up for it. Just focus on that and you'll be fine."

"Okay. So what's shunko?"

"A lot of fun," she replied with a smile. "Shunko—flash release—is the art of combining hand-to-hand combat with kidou. I'll teach that to you once you're comfortable doing the higher level spells."

"It sounds complicated."

"Well, it is… But it's a good skill to know."

And thus ended week number five.

* * *

_Another intermission!_

_So to sum up my first five weeks of training: amazing. Behind all the pain, the suffering, and the anguish I experienced, I learned so much. Yoruichi is a wonderful teacher._

_Speaking of Yoruichi, I've grown a lot closer to her since we first started. We were nothing but student and teacher before, but we usually hang out and eat dinner together after some training sessions now. She hated it whenever I put her name above my own, so I never told her that I was really lucky to be able to have learned under her. Someone who has so much skill and talent in so many ways really shouldn't be stooping down to my level to help me out just because I asked her to… But she did._

_I really like her; she's like a mother-figure to me._

_Oh, and I also figured out she hates being given honorifics. Knowing this though, I still call her Yoruichi-sensei. She keeps getting onto me for it, but eventually she stopped…_

_The next week I'm gonna record is the week I've currently just finished… But what was in store really wasn't what I was expecting._

_You'll find out why soon…_

_

* * *

_

_( Week Six )_

Week six: … nothing?

When I went to the Urahara Shop that Monday morning—punctual as usual—Yoruichi and Kisuke met me in the store next to the hole leading to the basement. I was surprised to see the former, because she usually met me in the basement.

"Morning guys," I greeted happily as I popped out into my Shinigami form. "What are we doing today, Yoruichi-sensei?"

"Actually, Megumi-chan, you're going to take a break today," Kisuke said with a smile.

I blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"Because," he pointed to my gourd, "I'm almost positive I know what your gourd can do, and I was so happy that I thought I'd give you a break."

"Really?!"

"Yes, yes. Come on, I'll tell you the story. I haven't even told Yoruichi-san the entire thing yet!"

Yoruichi sniffed as we followed him into the back, where the table I always sat at was. We took a seat around it, and I plopped my gourd on the table. The blood was still swirling around inside.

Kisuke seemed to be really excited about his findings. "Your gourd is a very interesting object, indeed. For one thing, its cork can only be opened by you." I caught onto that when I had to open it for him every day. For one day, though, he wanted to examine it while it was closed. "Another thing is that it's indestructible! I've tried it's durability by everything imaginable! Hammers, swords, kidou, fire, throwing it, stomping on it—it isn't affected at all."

"Whoa, seriously?" The gourd, to me, looked really fragile—especially since it was partly transparent. It looked like it would break easily. But if Kisuke tried almost everything like he said…

I stared harder at it. There wasn't a scratch on it at all.

"And the blood?" Yoruichi asked, who seemed as equally curious as I was.

Kisuke nodded. "It's another defensive attribute of Raiuta, just as I thought. It only absorbs your blood wounds, Megumi-chan, correct?"

I nodded.

"Well, it also only absorbs _your_ blood." He held up his finger, which had a tiny gash in it with some blood stains around. "It won't take my blood." He stared at the subject in discussion. "I'm not sure if it's the actual process, but once your blood is absorbed into the gourd, it goes through a stage of purification."

"Huh?!"

"Once it's purified," Kisuke continued, "It becomes a sort of medicine—only, for other people. For example, take this gash here." He held up his finger again. It was a fresh wound still. "May I?"

I pushed my gourd to him after opening it. Kisuke pulled a small shot glass from his shirt and put it on the table. He poured some of the liquid from inside into it. "Watch this—this is the cool part." He lifted the drink to his lips—the liquid was still blood red, but it was definitely not as thick as blood—and downed the glass.

Did he technically just _drink_… my _blood_?

Before I could become nauseated, I saw the wound on his finger glow—and in seconds, it disappeared. "See?" he said with a relieved "ahhh." "And also, here—" He lifted his left arm. "See this arm here?" He moved it around in every which direction.

"Uh huh…"

"This arm was broken before you came this morning."

I gasped. "What?! How did you break your arm?!" I glanced at Yoruichi, who had coughed. "… You had her break your arm?!"

He laughed and waved off my reaction. "It's not like it's never happened before! So anyways," he said. "Technically, Megumi-chan, your blood heals any wound. In fact, it's like an energy drink—it completely rejuvenates me! I feel like I can do anything!" At this he laughed, as if I was supposed to suspect the same thing.

I was too busy indulging in my shock. "My… _b-blood_ heals people?"

"Exactly!" He whipped out his fan again. Apparently, this guy wasn't taking this the same way I was. "Your purified blood purifies the bodies of other people, thus curing their wounds. Dandy, eh? In order for it to work though, the heart has to be pumping out blood. So that rules out bringing someone back from the dead." He sniffed as he magically brought a handkerchief from his side and dabbed at feigned tears. "I wasn't able to resurrect my beloved Hamtaro…"

I blinked. "Hamtaro?" As in the hamster anime show? He kept a pet hamster?!

"Does it heal her, as well?" Yoruichi asked level-headedly. She seemed to be completely calm.

"I'm not sure. I wasn't able to test it," Kisuke said with a shrug, tossing the handkerchief over his shoulder. He saw me freeze and he grinned evilly. "Although, I could right now if I wanted to…"

"Kisuke, you're going to give her a heart attack," Yoruichi said calmly.

"One more thing!" Kisuke said, ignoring her. "I found out one more quality about your gourd. It's quite stupendous, actually… a great find! I'm a genius!" He clapped his fan shut with a triumphant snap and called, "Oh, Mimi-chaaan!"

I was startled. "Mimi?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

I turned. That sounded a lot older than Mimi…

A tall, slender, and stunning sand-blonde beauty stepped into the room. I blinked at her. "Um… who…?"

She looked like a model. Her skin was smooth-looking and milky, and her face was delicate and heart-shaped. Short blonde hair was cut so that it was barely above her shoulders and framed her features—and stunning lavender eyes—perfectly. A flustered blush formed on her cheeks as she noticed me staring at her. "S-Stop staring, Bakemono," she huffed.

I gasped. "No way!" I shouted. "Mimi?! Is that you?!"

"You don't need to shout when I'm standing right here," she snapped.

My jaw hung lifelessly as I gazed at her, and I turned to Kisuke, who seemed amused with my reaction. Yoruichi just sat there with her arms crossed, staring at her. "What the heck happened?!" She was even taller than I was now! There was no way that could be Mimi… But then again, there was no way that _couldn't_ be Mimi! She's the only one that I know of who talks to me like that…

Kisuke laughed, waving the little gourd around. "It purifies blood, Megumi-chan." His grin widened as he looked at Mimi. "I remember you telling me once that Yasuo-san was hinting that your blood was a cure."

Wow, that was way back in the House of Horrors. I nodded numbly as I gaped at Mimi.

"He was dead on. Once purified, it turns Bounto back into humans. You, Megumi-chan, together with Raiuta, are the cure for the Bounto curse."

I stared at Mimi, and then at Yoruichi, and then at Kisuke. "What…?"

"I'm not sure how it works," Kisuke said. "I know that all zanpakutou carry special abilities; and this gourd just may be your trump card, Megumi-chan. It's like an indestructible bottle of instant-life Pepto Bismol."

I lifted up a shaky finger. "Then… Then why is she…?"

"I only took a drop of it," Mimi explained.

"She didn't trust me! Can you believe that?"

"If I took a cup of it, I would be dead right now," she continued. "I told you that I stopped aging when I hit seven years old. After a drop of your blood, the curse was removed and I began aging again."

"Wait… Why would you have died?" I asked.

"I was supposed to have died decades ago," she said. "I grew to this age… whatever age it is… within two and a half weeks. I'll be in my twenties by the time another two weeks pass, which is roughly five years in one week. That is, unless I take another drop of your blood—which, in that case, I'll disappear."

"Two drops is all that's needed to cure a Bounto," Kisuke said. "And it's all inside you, Megumi-chan."

That sounded _so_ corny.

"So I had the cure the entire time…?" I murmured, dumbfounded.

"Technically, yes," Kisuke said.

"Do Hikaru and Riana know?" I asked.

Mimi shook her head. "No, I haven't been there since I started aging." She paused as if to think about something. She knew that I wanted to keep this a secret until the right time. "But I'm only half human right now."

Before I could ask, Kisuke explained, "She took half the dosage and received half the cure. The boundaries on her age have been lifted, but she still has her doll, which is an attribute only Bounto have."

"And I don't have much of an appetite for reiatsu anymore," she added a little happily.

I leaned onto Yoruichi for emotional support, who simply watched me sympathetically. "… Wow," I murmured. It was like my brain was going to explode, rebuild, and then explode again. The information was so unreal, so… _much_. It was like I was dreaming again. There's no way…

'_Raiuta?'_

_( … Yes? )_

'_How do you feel?'_

There was a brief silence. _( As if I don't really know myself anymore…? )_

Good comparison.

"If Akina were a Shinigami, she probably would have had similar powers," Mimi said, shrugging. "Don't look as if you've lost yourself."

"So this is hereditary?" I murmured.

"Remember, Megumi-chan, you're a defender—this shouldn't surprise you that much, especially with what Yasuo-san said to you."

"Yeah, but… my blood? It heals people?!" I had almost expected that I was going to have to die or something before I could help the Bounto. Well… technically, I was, since Shinigami are dead people anyway… But wait! I'm not dead! Or am I?! "Argh!"

Yoruichi knocked on my head. "Stop shouting. Think of it this way: two drops of it can cure a Bounto. How simple is that?"

"And it doesn't even have to be drank, necessarily," Kisuke said. "As long as it enters the bloodstream, it should work. We could turn it into a syringe and then inject—"

"_No needles."_

Kisuke blinked at me. "… No needles."

Wait a moment. If my blood reverts Bounto back to how they're supposed to be at this time, I could help those people that Yasuo was turning into Bounto. If Yasuo or Romeo took two drops, they'd disappear onto Soul Society, and if I gave two drops to the new Bounto, they'd go back to normal—and that solves our Bounto problem.

"So… all they need to do is take two drops?" I asked numbly.

"Yes," Kisuke said.

"What happens when it's full?" I asked, pointing at the gourd.

"Good question. I don't know." He paused and looked at me. "However, we can find out…"

Yoruichi sighed as I cowered again. "I have one more question," I said, raising my hand.

"Yes?"

"Can I lay down somewhere?"

* * *

_After that, the rest of the week passed by normally; I trained in the basement with Yoruichi, refining what little skills I had. However, I kept getting distracted by the seemingly useless thing that sat on my hip—and I'm still pretty darn distracted. It's an idea that I still haven't grasped yet. It was easy and relieving knowing that my… purified… blood healed people, but that it was the cure that lifted the Bounto's curse? Could it really be that simple? But Mimi standing there, looking as if she was around my age, was evidence enough. There were still so many questions I wanted to ask…_

_What else am I hiding? Is this really hereditary? Or am I an alien—a freak?_

_Well… Needless to say, that took me down another drastic turn. Just when I thought I had no more questions to ask, there was a million more. Only me…_

_Well, that's about it. I don't know if I'll ever read this again, but we'll see._

_- Megumi_

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

* * *

**A/N:** Oh my goodness, this chapter was SO LONG. Over 6000 words, 13 pages on Word… Oh wow. That really got me. I thought of splitting it, but I didn't want to spend two chapters on this…

So yeah, a pretty uneventful and boring chapter—kind of. Unless you like to see Megumi struggle with learning this complicated stuff and then get blown away, again, by a power she didn't know she had. I was actually thinking of skipping the whole training thing and move on, saying that she did train… But I thought a chapter of seeing her actually learn something might be a better choice. I hope you enjoyed it, nonetheless!

I'm already excited about the next chapter! Some pretty gnarly things happen, I'll tell you that.

So now we discover the secrets of Megumi's gourd—her blood IS the cure for Bounto! The secret has finally been revealed! But what kind of secrets lay behind that? Are there consequences she hasn't realized yet? Another mystery behind the mystery? Oh, the suspense!

And you'll find out soon once you review, review, review! ;)

Special thanks to:

**Phoenix and Fire, aminea88, RheaTheMeepoe, Arin-chan, My Ashland, waterbluegirl1234, CRdragonPyro, CrieLaw13, kanameXakari, pinkatailmon, -lazy llama-, Claamchowder, , triggerspec, , Satupilvi, Leopardstar, Vangcorra, Hikari6007, Kukino3, Mai, Mari Ferolla, dokuki, FailedWriter, -Not, Ereana, hyourin-kusabana, BLACKROCKER, xXxAiirinxXx, ember-chan, The Rain Collector, Oshima zakura, Megumi Yunai, iv, erina destiny, hitsugayaXOX, NeferNeferi, viettvnt, Sportin' Purple Neck Pillows, GothicCinnamon, Onepiecewonder, Naruto-Lover227, makoko, missy, Kayleigh Volturi, Zanyx, HeadstrongNozomi, Immortal Eden, haku fan1, FrozenIceCream, avatar-chik, YOUR MOMMA D, Julie013, Mournful Storms, Shanni-chan, steel-alchemist, jennyz, joster13, NamineNasha, Kana090, flora236, BionicLemon, nameless reviewer, sAppHiRa-hiMe, LadyChaos1011, Sky-chan, jazzmin92, darkheart1992, songo714, Afiercebeauty, Dreamsong22, ShioriOokami, THANK YOU!**

**I noticed some old names and new names as I was typing this up! And welcome back or welcome! Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you'll be able to join the awesome reviewer's club! :)**

You guys are amazing! I hope to have the next chapter up _really_ soon… But please tell me honestly, do you not like these fast updates?

… And that was a serious question. :D

Signing out,

Bayo – Bayo!

PS: Hamtaro © Kawai Ritsuko

:)


	46. The Last Straw

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

YEEHAW, GUYS! THIS IS WHERE EVERYTHING HEATS UP!

Yeah, I was thinking of posting this chapter tomorrow, but I thought, what the hey? My reviewers deserve this! So here is chapter 46, served on a silver platter after one day of wait. ;) Plus I was so excited about this chapter, myself, that I just had to give it to you guys. Are you wondering how in the world I'm able to update so quickly?

Well, once the plot got moving a few chapters ago (starting with the early Raiuta stages), I had this sudden urge to… _write_. And I just couldn't stop writing, even after I had the next chapter completed. So yeah, I'm ahead a chapter or two. Hahaha.

Anyways, thank you so much for your reviews, everyone! I'm glad to know, and surprised to know, that a lot of you enjoyed the last chapter, when I thought it was kind of dull. :) You guys make me smile.

But anyways, now—without further ado—I give to you chapter 46!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y – S I X :**  
_"The Last Straw"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

_I was dreaming… _again_. I had to be. But the question was… Why? Why was I doing this to myself? I had gone so long without so much as a lingering thought or breath of anything that would remind me of him. I was so cautious. I had put up barriers, reinforced them, used them, and reinforced them again. Half a year went by and I had been doing much, much better than I thought I would have. Friends and family distracted me from the painful truth, and because of them I was able to smile genuinely each day. I thought I was finally being cured… And just when I was so close to even start trying to get over it, this had to happen._

_It was like the pieces of my heart that lay shattered on the ground had a thousand-ton steel package dropped on it._

_Make it stop, I wanted to say. Wake up, Megumi! Don't do this to yourself, after you've worked so hard to overcome this…_

_But it was too late. The moment I saw him was the moment I would have to start protecting myself again from scratch. It didn't matter if it was a hallucination, a dream; heck, it didn't even matter if it really was him in his all-perfect glory. The moment I saw those teal eyes—the eyes of which I had been deprived for half a year—I became vulnerable and I was promptly shot down._

"_Toushirou," I murmured, my breath intakes choppy._

_We were in a realm of light; not in any specific place. The only thing that I took in that was my surroundings was a deep gash in the ground that separated Toushirou and me. I stood there staring at him—he who stood on the other side, facing me with no expression on his face. He was dressed in his Shinigami uniform, and behind him were the thirteen other captains of Gotei 13. I couldn't see their faces, but their haori's identified them._

"_I didn't mean it."_

_I jumped where I stood. The words came from right beside me, and I tore my gaze from the beautiful hallucination on the other side to face… Toushirou? I stared at him in horror before glancing over to the other side of the crevice again. The Toushirou there still stood there, staring at me. I looked back. What was going on? I made a move to step back—but he gently grabbed my hand, immobilizing me. My heart broke again._

_And again… And again…_

"_I'm sorry," he said, his glistening eyes burning into mine. My knees almost buckled beneath me. "I lied. I didn't mean any of it."_

_I couldn't say anything. His other hand moved to brush something from my cheek—tears—and he sighed and held his hand there. "You… I…" He paused for a second, before making a noise that sounded like a chuckle. "We're such idiots."_

_I couldn't breathe as his forehead rested against mine and he whispered, "I missed you."_

-+-+-+-+-+-

I called the Urahara Shop almost right after I woke up to tell them that I wouldn't be coming in today.

"_Are you feeling all right, Megumi-chan?" _Ururu asked, her voice coated with concern.

"I'm okay." The phone tottered between my jaw and my shoulder as I struggled to multi-task. I was trying to force a brush through my hair as I added, "I just… need a day off. Can you tell Kisuke and Yoruichi for me?"

"_Sure. Feel better soon, okay?"_

"Thanks. See you later, Ururu."

I tossed the phone carelessly onto my bed and tried working the brush through my hair again. "Ugh, stupid hair! I think I'll just chop it all off!" I cried. A few more unsuccessful tugs were the most I could take before I gave up. "You know what? Whatever! I don't care anymore!" I grumbled at my disastrous reflection before going to find clothes to change into.

_( Personally, I don't think a haircut would look bad on you. )_

'_Not now, Raiuta…'_

_( I'm serious! A little change in appearance might be good. You know, add some variety to your style. Some dresses you have would look better on you with your hair short! )_

I sighed and sulked on my window sill, staring blankly out the window. It was a pretty day today, with clear blue skies. Inside, though, I felt like a maelstrom. I banged my head against the window. "Why me? Stupid…"

_( You okay? )_

'_I was doing _so_ well, Raiuta. You know I have… I barely thought about him the past few months, which was much better than I thought. It's been about half a year already… I thought I was finally starting to get over him and move on. But after that stupid dream… He's all I can think about. Dang it, I just woke up and I'm already so annoyed!'_

_( I know. You miss him a lot, don't you? )_

I cough-laughed. _'Of course I do. That's why having that dream hurt so much…'_

_( I thought training helped distract you? )_

'_It does. But I don't want Kisuke or Yoruichi to see me like this… They might get my motives wrong.'_

_( Ah… )_

I sighed and leaned my head back, lightly resting it against the frame. "Ugh. This isn't helping." I slid off and dug around for my Soul Candy dispenser, and popped a ball in my mouth.

_( What are you doing? )_

'_Getting some air. I can't stay here by myself or I'll go crazy.'_

"Stay here, okay? Don't try to get out of the house," I ordered my body. This time my random substitute soul was depressed and sleep-deprived. That's humorously coincidental.

"Okay…" she replied as she plopped onto my bed, suddenly going motionless. "It's not like I'm needed anywhere else anyway…" Good idea—pretend to be asleep.

I found myself strolling through the middle of town after deciding to let my feet drag me wherever they pleased. Now that I was caught in the noise and energy of Karakura in the morning, I was reminded of how loud the town was. Usually I was at Kisuke's shop training ("working" at a summer job for Takuya-oji) and didn't get out until sometime a little later in the afternoon. By that time, the town had expended all of its energy. On weekends, I slept in until noon. It felt nice to be in the middle of noise… What a funny thing to miss.

Speaking of training these days… It felt like I had just started training yesterday, but it had already been six weeks since I first learned Raiuta's name. Six weeks of torture, anguish, and pain; six weeks of tears of frustration. It has been an unforgettable experience so far. But I was learning a lot and I've grown; and that's all that really matters to me.

_( Hey, where are you going? )_

Hmm. Where am I going? I haven't been paying attention to where I was walking; I was too busy reminiscing. I stopped to gain my bearings. I almost slapped myself when I realized where I was. _'Hmm. I must be subconsciously out to get me.'_

_( Snap. )_

Looking to my side, I had the most perfect view of the sky and the landscape below. I shouldn't be here… It was only going to rip open more scabs. I had to get out of here before I broke down again—before Hikaru and Riana had to run to my rescue and nurse me back to earth again. I couldn't deal with it again…

My breaths had become shallow. I cursed my luck, squeezed my eyes shut, and ran away.

Why?

'_Get out of my head!' _

_( Where? Where is he?! I'll beat him to a little pulp! )_

I kept running, not really knowing where I would go. I was thankful that I was in my Shinigami form; most people couldn't see me, and even if they could, I couldn't tell. Of course they got freaked out when an invisible force would jostle them, but I didn't particularly care at the moment. I needed an outlet, something to release my stress…

Hmm. If I kept my reiatsu high enough, I was sure to attract a Hollow.

I kept running through crowds of people in search for a less populated area; I didn't want to be swinging my sword with unwarned people around.

_( You're seriously going to go look for a Hollow? )_

'_I'm eradicating more monsters and helping ease the stress. Two birds with one stone!'_

_( Talk about looking for trouble… Sheesh. ) _I heard her sigh. She was worried about me.

I kept my senses alert for any signs of Hollows. The one time I actually want to find a Hollow and there doesn't seem to be any around…

I kept running and waiting, sensing, listening.

Running, waiting, sensing, and listening… right into a pedestrian.

"Ack!" I yelped. Strong hands steadied my shoulders before I could ricochet onto my rear. I stared up, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was going…"

"… What the heck, Megumi?" My eyes widened. "… Crap."

Hikaru looked me up and down for a couple rounds, taking in my very identifiable wardrobe. Afterwards, he stared at my face and raised his eyebrow. Riana, of course, had to be right next to him, and was absolutely wordless as she took in my outfit as well—and the fact that people were staring strangely at us. Well, them, to be exact… Hikaru was grasping something invisible and Riana was staring at his imaginary friend.

Suddenly he smiled a very, very creepy smile. "Let's go for a little walk." Hikaru's tone was every bit intimidating. I would rather him have said 'I'm going to kill you slowly and cruelly unless you give me a good reason as to why you're suddenly what I think you are.'

"I… don't have an option, do I?" Riana was still ogling me as I spoke, and an immediate look from Hikaru answered me.

They wordlessly escorted me through the crowds, Hikaru's arm on my shoulder and leading the way. Sheesh, as if I would try to run away. They led me to a smaller park that was located in the back of town. I can see why they brought me here—the place had been absolutely barren since that newer, bigger one opened closer into town a few years ago. Here they could interrogate me without having to worry about people suspecting a couple demented teenagers getting angry at air particles.

I took my place on a bench, nervous as Hikaru and Riana sat on either sides of me. Neither of us spoke for a minute or so, and I pretended to enjoy the scenery. "Nice weather today…" I offered pathetically.

"Too bad you won't be seeing it much longer unless you say something to stop me from killing you." Hikaru glared at me. "What's going on?"

"Megumi-chan," Riana murmured finally, as if she finally registered that I was here. "You're… You're a Shinigami?"

"Not exactly," I said quickly, and they both stared unbelievingly at me. "Well… kind of. I guess. I can explain!"

Hikaru rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat. "Then get on with it."

I proceeded to tell them everything I knew—from telling them how Metsuki gave me her powers and meeting Raiuta in January to my current situation: learning self-defense from Yoruichi and Kisuke. I watched their faces as I was explaining… and I must say that they were a humorous sight. At least Riana was, anyway. Hikaru contained his calm and cool expression until I finished; Riana went from wide-eyed to confused to surprised to worried and to shocked all within five minutes.

"And… that takes me to now," I finished.

"So you've been training all this time… I was wondering where you'd been these past weeks," Riana murmured.

Hikaru groaned and slumped over, holding his face. "Crap, Megumi, what in the world have you gotten yourself into?" I stared at him sadly, making a move to soothe him, before he looked at me from the corner of his eyes. "Megumi with a sword? I thought me becoming a Shinigami was a destructive idea…"

I heard a snort. _( Haha, that was funny! )_

"Jerk!" I exclaimed, slugging his shoulder. He barely flinched, but he slugged me back. "Ow!"

"Point taken." He sighed dramatically, feigning the epitome of misery. "My best friend is a Shinigami, my sister likes a Shinigami, my best friend—who is a Shinigami—is in love with another Shinigami, I happen to hate the Shinigami that my sister and best friend—who _is_ a Shinigami—like… Ugh, what else can go wrong?"

Somehow, I think he was in denial… and slowly creeping over the edge. "Uh… You can fall for a Shinigami?"

He glared at me sideways. "And I happened to fall for my best friend, who is a Shinigami…"

I rolled my eyes—I thought he was really mad at me, and now here he is, making fun of me and joking around! I can never figure this guy out. "Oh, cut the drama, Hikaru."

Raiuta, on the other hand, was giggling non-stop. _( I like this guy, Gumi-goshujin. )_

'_Bad idea… and 'Gumi-goshujin'? What the heck?'_

_( Well… I was thinking last night, and I decided I wanted to give you a nickname! Everyone calls you Megumi-chan—I wanted to be different! )_

'_But… Gumi-goshujin?'_

_( You're right… That's too long. Gumi-hime? )_

'_Raiuta—'_

_( Gumi-chan! I'll stick with that. )_

'_You are so weird…'_

Riana grabbed my hand. "Megumi-chan… Why didn't you tell us?"

I frowned at her apologetically. "I just… didn't want to worry you. You two were already really worried; I didn't want to add onto that…"

"Didn't want to worry us? We're even more worried than we would have been if you _did_ tell us!" Hikaru snapped. "What else aren't you telling us?"

I thought for a while. "Well…" I started.

"Oh, so you _were_ hiding more?"

"I met Romeo again several weeks ago," I suddenly remembered, my eyes wide. Come to think of it, the only people that knew about it were Yoruichi and Kisuke. Romeo and Yasuo were involving more innocent people—I needed to tell someone else who could help…

"What?" Riana gasped.

"What happened?" Hikaru asked. "Did he hurt you? I swear, if that retarded little prep boy—"

His words suddenly became lost to me. I barely saw it, but it was definitely there—just out of the park boundary, across the street… He just turned a corner.

White hair, white haori…

"It can't be!" I jumped.

"What?" Hikaru asked, annoyed.

I didn't register his words and took off running. "It can't be… Is it him?" But who else had white hair and walked around in a black kimono and white haori?

I zipped across the street, nearly getting myself killed, and followed the same route I thought he took. I followed the sidewalk to the corner and took a turn; I was surprisingly out of breath. I made it just in time to see him make a turn again, and I quickly followed him. I don't even know why I was following him, even if it was him… What would I do if it really was him? What would I say—what would _he_ say?

I didn't even think about this until I branched around the corner, and accidentally bumped into the said person.

I didn't even say anything. I stood there panting, even if it was a short run. When he turned, I couldn't tell whether I was relieved or disappointed… Maybe both.

It wasn't him.

But he was wearing the Shinigami uniform and even had the white haori… and hair! But there was a big difference. For one, he was much taller, and definitely looked older. He looked like he could be a young father. His hair was long and straight, and his eyes were dark—the color of olives. I think he did mention that there was another captain with white hair in Gotei 13… This must be him.

Despite having bowled right into him, though, I didn't say one word.

"Excuse me," he said, a warm smile curling onto his face. He reminded me that I was a Shinigami right now when he took into notice my uniform. "Hmm, I've never seen you before. Are you new to Gotei 13?"

Oh, crap.

_( He's a Shinigami, Gumi-chan! A _real_ one! )_

'_Crap, crap, crap! I know!'_

What was I supposed to say? I wasn't even dead yet, much less in Gotei 13. The Shinigami there might know about the little human that the Bounto want, but they must not favor me after what happened… And didn't Ichigo say that it was a bad thing for humans to have Shinigami powers? I was in trouble! What should I say? If I ran away, he would know; if I told him, he would know and I might die… Were there any other options?

I don't know how much time elapsed since his question, but the friendly smile never left his face. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I… uh…"

"Megumi-chan!"

"Megumi!"

I cursed my luck.

Hikaru and Riana caught up to me, and the former boy latched a hand onto my shoulder. "Why did you suddenly run off like that, retard?"

When they saw my horrified face, they looked at the captain, who then looked at the two new additions. Suddenly a look of realization crossed his features as his eyes fell on me again. "Megumi… Nagasuki Megumi-san?"

I gulped and bowed. "G-Good afternoon, Shinigami-taichou."

* * *

"So you're the girl that Daijiro Yasuo wants," the Shinigami, who introduced himself as Ukitake Jyuushirou, said.

He sat across the table from Hikaru, Riana, and I and took a small sip of his coffee. After running into him, I was almost sure that he would turn me in for becoming a Shinigami, but instead he seemed amused by the whole situation and invited us to the café he was going to. A strange turn of events, but as long as I wasn't going to get in trouble, I obliged. Of course we couldn't order anything like this, so we decided to separate. I got back into my body while he switched into his gigai and we met at the café. This Ukitake is really nice though, so far; he offered to buy us something. I didn't like owing people things, so I declined, as did Riana. Hikaru, however…

"And you two are Bounto, but on a side that resists Daijiro," Ukitake concluded.

Hikaru nodded. "So what are you doing down here, Ukitake-san? I haven't seen an actual Shinigami in Karakura for a while," he asked as he put down his own coffee. You can always count on Hikaru to jump for any offer that included free food. He seemed to be getting along well enough with Ukitake, despite him not liking Shinigami…

"My captain-commander sent me on a mission to scout the area and get leads on Daijiro a week or so ago, but I haven't discovered anything yet. He's hard to catch," he replied.

"Yasuo is slick," Hikaru agreed. "He never stayed in one place at the same time and always had a backup plan for anything, taking the necessary precautions for every move he made."

"Sounds like he's more dangerous than I realized," Ukitake nodded. "I've been keeping up with the news down here lately, and I read that there have been kidnappings in the past couple months—seven, to be precise? Has Daijiro been the cause behind that?"

I nodded. The kidnappings have stopped since I met with Romeo, but there were seven missing people right now. I debated whether I should tell him about what he plans to do, but I wasn't sure where that would lead me.

Ukitake looked at me. "You're Nagasuki-chan," he said with a smile. "Rukia has told me about you."

Why was I so nervous? "O-Oh? Is Rukia in your division?"

He nodded. "Do you have any information that might help us catch Daijiro, before he takes more innocent people?"

I hesitated.

"Tell him about Romeo, Megumi," Hikaru suggested. "You still haven't told us what happened."

"I want to hear, as well," Riana added.

"Romeo… That is one of the Bounto?"

I nodded and took a deep breath. Well, I did want to tell someone who could help us… So I told him what happened. I didn't say anything about my Shinigami powers or my zanpakutou, though—not even about Yoruichi or Kisuke, or what my gourd did. I was lucky that Hikaru or Riana didn't ask about it. He didn't ask either, which I was grateful for.

"They're making more Bounto," Ukitake said, his expression hard. "They can turn people into Bounto?"

"If it works, it takes about a week for the human to become one," Riana explained. "But yes, we can turn people into Bounto."

"If it works?" he asked.

"Depending on the person, they may not be affected by it… There's really no way to tell."

"Is there a way to turn them back to humans?" Ukitake asked.

Hikaru shrugged. "If we knew about a cure or something, we would be human right now. I want to believe there's something that could help us, but it's based on faith only right now."

I clutched the fabric of the uniform on my knees tightly. I wanted to tell them, but it slipped my mind; I would have to wait until later. I'm not sure I want the Shinigami knowing about my gourd… or my blood (shiver) yet.

The captain nodded, storing the information. "Nagasuki-chan said something about Shirotaka Yuu not seeming to know that he was human. In the process of becoming a Bounto, does the human become brainwashed?"

I blinked. I hadn't thought of that. "Yeah, but only for humans who were bitten to become Bounto. Everything must be cleared out before the effects can take place," Hikaru explained.

"So that's why he looked confused when I asked him about college," I said. And why Romeo got angry and cut me off—their hostages weren't aware of it.

"This is very useful information," Ukitake said as he finished his drink. "Is there anything else?"

"That's all I know so far, sorry," I lied.

"No, no, you were a great help. Thank you," he replied. I smiled—I liked him.

Hikaru stared cautiously at him. "So… What happens to humans who get Shinigami powers?"

The white-haired man propped his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together. "Well, if my captain-commander were to find out, he'd probably have them executed," he said, staring down at the table. Riana gasped and Hikaru's reiatsu flared. "But," he continued with a smile, "You three have been such a great help, and I have a feeling that you all mean well. I won't tell anyone that I met you."

"What about Riana and Hikaru?" I asked. "You guys won't go after them too, will you? They're good people!"

He smiled. "I don't believe Riana-san and Hikaru-san are bad people either. I'll see what I can do."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you…"

"Yes, thank you so much," Riana said.

Ukitake gazed at the three of us with a soft grin. "You three look so young… I'm sorry you have to go through all of this."

"We've probably been alive as long as you have, gramps," Hikaru said with a shrug. I nudged him harshly.

He laughed. "Oh, I doubt that. I'm pretty old," he said. "I'm sorry to end our conversation here, but I must report all of this to the soutaichou immediately."

I shook my head and stood up. "No, we understand. Thanks for listening to us," I smiled.

He grinned at me. "Before I do that, though… May I have a private word with you, Nagasuki-chan?"

I blinked and slowly sat back down. Uh-oh. "Uh… sure." I looked at Hikaru and Riana, who were looking suspiciously at Ukitake. "Guys?"

They looked at me. "We'll wait for you outside, Megumi," Hikaru said. "Thanks for the coffee, Ukitake-san." They stood and left.

Riana bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Ukitake-san."

"A pleasure to meet you both."

He smiled at them as they left before turning to me. "Would you like anything now, Nagasuki-chan?"

I shook my head politely. "Did you need something, Ukitake-taichou?" I asked nervously.

"I promise that I'll keep your Shinigami powers a secret," he said, keeping my gaze. "However, I need to know your motives. What do you intend to do with the powers you have now?"

I should have expected the question, but it still threw me off. It was nothing I couldn't answer though. "I would say that I intend to put a stop to Yasuo's plan—whatever it may be—but that's too far-fetched for me," I started with a sheepish grin. "Ever since I met the Shinigami and Bounto, I've been nothing but another human to save and protect. That's my goal. I'm going to compensate for that by being a Shinigami; I'm going to protect everyone now. And if that means trying to stop Yasuo then that's what I'll do. It's my fault he's being such a pain in the first place." And luckily, I knew the easiest way to stop him.

Ukitake smiled. "You're a gutsy girl," he commented.

_( Pfft, she lost her gut once Yoruichi took control of her schedule... )_

I shook my head, embarrassed. "Not at all," I murmured.

"I am surprised, though," he said after a second. "For a human, you sure have left your mark. The Gotei 13 is still rattled from how much commotion a single human—a young girl, at that—can cause."

"I know… I'm sorry."

"I don't think even _he _has realized how much you've affected him," he added lightly. He noticed my body freeze. "If only Hitsugaya-taichou knew what you were doing now... He would probably 'have a cow,' as you would say. Or, in his case, I guess a dragon would be more appropriate… definitely more painful, though."

"You promise you won't tell, right?" I asked, trying to avoid the subject. He was probably lying anyway.

"You have my word," he assured me, and slowly leaned over. "I'm quite certain that Hitsugaya-taichou would never forgive me if I were to endanger you in any way." The look on his face softened. "I don't know the details of what happened, Nagasuki-chan; but I do know that he definitely hasn't been himself for a while now. Always consumed in his paperwork, never speaking unless spoken to; for someone younger than the rest of the Shinigami captains, he thinks a lot, even for his standing."

I stared at him, and for reasons I didn't know I found myself blushing. I stood up. The smile on his lips didn't fade. "Thank you," I said again. "Is there anything else you wanted to know?"

He shook his head. "No, that's all I wanted to know. Thank you, Nagasuki-chan. I hope we see each other again soon."

I bowed to him before stepping out. Hikaru and Riana met me just outside the door. "Sorry for the wait," I said, grinning.

"What did he want?" Hikaru asked as we started walking.

"Nothing important," I said with a sigh. "I didn't think I'd see another Shinigami today, after all that time…"

"I don't think I've ever formally met one before," Riana added thoughtfully. "Especially so… comfortably."

"He's not bad," Hikaru said, throwing his hands behind his head. "For a Shinigami, that is."

"You're only saying that because he got you coffee," I accused quietly. I sighed. "Was it a good idea to get them involved in this?"

"They would have gotten involved anyway," Hikaru shrugged. "And besides, if we didn't tell him anything, they probably would have made the wrong move. Yasuo has hostages now, so the Shinigami have to be careful."

"What are you going to do, Megumi-chan?" Riana asked, onyx eyes glancing at me.

_( Kick Bounto butt, of course! )_

I thought for a while. "I'm going to try to stop Yasuo," I said. "It's my fault that he's doing this… So I'm going to do something about it."

"Do you have an early death wish?" Hikaru huffed. "He's insanely destructive."

I shrugged. "If the Shinigami get involved, things will work out." Hikaru just huffed again. "What are you two going to do?"

"We're with you, Megumi-chan. We were going to stop Yasuo anyway," Riana smiled.

These two are amazing. "Thanks, guys."

It was late afternoon by the time we got back home. I didn't realize we had been with Ukitake for so long… "You guys want to come in for a little bit?" I asked as I stepped up to my porch. "Takuya-oji won't mind. He should be back from work by now."

He shrugged. "Not like we have anywhere else to be."

I twisted my knob, which was unlocked. I must have forgotten to lock it or something before I left for the café… And Takuya-oji must have forgotten to lock it when he came back. My eyebrows furrowed together.

"Lost your key?" Hikaru asked over my shoulder.

"No, come in," I said with uncertainty. I didn't feel any reiatsu inside the house, so no one broke in. Why did I have such a bad feeling then…?

_( Gumi-chan… There's no reiatsu in the house. )_

My breath fell short.

I ran inside. "Takuya-oji?" I called. His chair was vacant, as was the entire house… Everything was too neat. It was like he didn't come home at all.

"What's wrong, Megumi-chan?" Riana asked.

I checked his room, the bathroom, the closets, the backyard… They were all empty. Takuya-oji was nowhere to be seen. I ran up to my room and flipped on the lights. There was a folded note on my bed, tacked to my pillow.

I snatched it up, skimming over the words. Hikaru and Riana rushed up to my room after me. "What's wrong?" Hikaru asked, worried.

Robotically I turned to show them the letter, my hands trembling.

_Dear Megumi-chan,_

_It's been a while, hasn't it? I missed seeing you and your Shinigami friends. Tell Riana, Mimi and Hikaru I said hello, will you?_

_I'll skip to the point. You know what I'm doing, correct? I have a lovely group of new Bounto and a certain uncle of yours who's still human, I can assure you. This is it, Megumi-chan—the final battle. I do hope you will be there._

_I'm sure you remember the place where I killed your "sister," correct? That will be the stage for the final battle, which will take place two weeks from this Friday. Until then, I give you my word that we will not hurt him until we meet again. What happens to him then will be up to you._

_Your presence is required there, and be sure to bring your Bounto and Shinigami friends with you. The more there are to kill, the more of an enjoyable battle it will be._

_Remember: two weeks from Friday._

_Sincerely,  
__Daijiro Yasuo_

_PS: If you are not there, I can assure you that your uncle will never be seen again._

Hikaru and Raiuta both hissed. "That—"

_( That— )_

I interrupted them. "They have Takuya-oji!" I shouted, clutching at my hair. "How stupid of me not to warn him! How could I let them do that?! He's a hostage of reiatsu-hungry Bounto while I'm off having tea and chatting with a Shinigami! Argh, I'm such an _idiot_!"

"Calm down, Megumi-chan," Riana hushed me. She put a hand on my back and rubbed it soothingly. "Yasuo won't touch him."

I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, scolding myself. "It's my fault! If I had stayed home like I was supposed to, I would have noticed or something!"

"Shut up! It's not your fault—it's his! That coward, stooping so low," Hikaru growled, obviously ticked off.

I sniffed angrily, fighting back tears. "Guys, will you do something for me?"

They both looked at me, as if to say "duh."

"Will you join me and the Shinigami in the fight?" I asked them. My face and skin burned with resolve. Yasuo had done it this time—oh, this was the last straw. I wasn't going to let him get away. It was a personal battle from the beginning, but it had escalated to an all-out war.

"We need all the power we can get to put that man in his place," Hikaru murmured. I could tell he wasn't pleased with the idea, but he really had no choice. There were more of them than us, and none of us knew what kind of powers these new Bounto had. "But how are you going to get the Shinigami to help—especially with us there?"

"I'm going to Kisuke and Yoruichi," I told them. They used to be Shinigami; surely they would know a way for me to get to Seireitei.

"What—now?" Riana stammered.

"Of course now! Takuya-oji's in danger!"

"No, you're going to them in the morning," Hikaru corrected me, blocking my door. "Yasuo isn't going to hurt your uncle for two weeks from Friday, and today's Wednesday. He's demented and insane, but he keeps his word. If he says he's not going to hurt him, he won't hurt him."

"Move, Hikaru," I growled. I was not going to listen to his reasoning—and besides, I couldn't sleep if his life or mine depended on it.

"Megumi, listen to me," Hikaru said. His hands gripped my shoulders. "If you go to them now, you won't get any sleep. It's been a long day—rest up tonight at our house and we'll go see them tomorrow."

I glared at him. Tears were on the brink of falling. He was right; I was exhausted, emotionally and physically. But how would I be able to sleep knowing that my uncle—who is like a father to me—is in danger? My glare softened into a pitiful stare, and I could hold back my tears no longer. Finally I crashed into him, throwing my arms around him and sobbing pathetically into his shoulder. "How could I have let this happen?" I cried as he tightly embraced me.

"I won't let either of them get away with this, I promise," he said.

Riana came up from behind me and joined in on the hug. "We'll get Takuya-oji back, safe and sound."

_( Gumi-chan… Everything will be fine. )_ I could feel her shaking with fury.

These will be the last two weeks that Yasuo has left to live.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

* * *

**A/N:** Heheheheh. I wonder how many people expected me to somehow include Takuya-oji in all the chaos in Megumi's world? ;)

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I grew to love Ukitake after writing this… and of course, I just have to love Kyouraku too. Ukitake's just so pleasant to write as. :)

Oh my, so what will happen next?! Megumi is resolved to go to Seireitei, but will she make it?! Bahaha, you will find out the sooner you review! So review, everyone!

Special thanks to:

**D R A G O N L I L I E S, RheaTheMeepoe, aminea88, Kana090, Naruto-Lover227, Leopardstar, kanameXakari, Vangcorra, My Ashland, Serena Lockhart, Aqua4, dokuki, Kukino3, ai-bleach, , jazmin92, Mai, -lazy llama-, Dragon of Twilight, Melodicxstar, pinkatailmon, Starlite-Angel24, me, indigoia, hyourin-kusabana, Koi no Mega Lover, sAppHiRa-hiMe, MaruiBuntaWorshipper, Oshima zakura, iv, The Rain Collector, viettvnt, sky-chan, missy, NamineNasha, hitsugayaXOX, avatar-chik, , Onepiecewonder, erina destiny, makoko, BionicLemon, ShioriOokami, Kayleigh-Duck., LadyAmazon, aoitsuki77, Julie013, Mournful Storms, darkheart1992, xXWrennaXx, FailedWriter, KurokamiHaruhi, GothicCinnamon, FrozenIceCream, jennyz, Mari Ferolla, 13Lulu's, Zanyx, Immortal Eden, HitsugayaFanGirl, jennyz, I'm a Reader, Uchiha Sasha, CRdragonPyro, CarinaAiko, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

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Hahaha, don't forget to review, everyone!

… Wait, WHAT'S THAT? Do you smell that?! I think I smell… YES, IT'S…

WATERMELONS?!

And it's coming closer!

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!


	47. Emotional Preparation

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Wow, guys—you gave me 77 reviews in a day and a half! Your reviewing speed amazes me… I love you all so much! :) Your encouragement and love is the fuel for this story… and my own excitement for the story and love for you guys produces fast updates! ;) So keep them coming!

I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and Ukitake! I enjoyed writing as him sooo much! :) I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well!

So read on!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y – S E V E N :**  
_"Emotional Preparation"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

Kisuke's expression was unreadable as he lowered the note onto the table, flicking it back to me. "Hmm. This is quite the predicament," he mused as he thoughtfully gripped his chin. "You received this yesterday, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. I found it on my pillow last night."

Yoruichi scoffed. She was standing by the window, leaning against the wall. "Tch, what a coward. Stooping so low…" Her gaze reflected on me. "What are you going to do?"

_( Does she really need to ask? )_

"I'm going to save him, of course," I replied calmly. Ever since I woke up this morning—well, _got_ up, technically, considering I didn't really sleep—I promised myself that I wouldn't lose my top today. Getting angry and blowing up wouldn't solve anything, and none of them deserved to get shouted at by me. "But… I can't do it on my own." I stared at my lap, where my hands were clutching at my skirt tightly. "Kisuke, Yoruichi-sensei—do you know of a way that I can get to Seireitei to ask for the Shinigami's help?"

Neither of them flinched at my question. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they would be expecting it; and apparently, I was right in thinking they knew how to get there. Kisuke crossed his arms, a look of exasperation on his face. "My, my—he really has done it now, eh? This is the first time I've actually seen the usually upbeat and smiley Megumi-chan provoked." He grinned at me. "I knew something bad had happened since I felt your reiatsu closing in. It was very cold, unlike how warm it normally is."

I lowered my eyes. I really didn't want them to have to see me like this, as I'm about ready to lose control, but I had no choice. "Can you help me?"

He sighed. "Please, Megumi-chan; I'm Urahara Kisuke, the handsome, genius owner of the Urahara Shop. I most certainly _am_ able to help you. Now, if you're asking me whether I _will_ or not…"

My head popped up. "What? I don't understand—"

"You think you can simply break into Seireitei and immediately receive an audience with Yamamoto?" Yoruichi asked. "Don't be ridiculous, Megumi. You may be able to defend yourself, but you can't do it against ten other Shinigami."

"Unless you've already forgotten, which I'm sure you haven't, you aren't very popular with them right now," Kisuke continued. "And on top of that, they don't receive live visitors welcomingly. You probably won't even make it to the division barracks without getting killed first."

Yoruichi observed my shocked face and sniffed. "You haven't even thought about what you would do afterwards, have you? You thought things were just going to work out somehow once you got there? That's not good enough, Megumi."

I lowered my head, my eyes wide. "You're… You're right," I murmured. I had been so consumed with beating up Yasuo and dwelling in my own fury that I wasn't even thinking ahead properly. Me, get to Seireitei? That idea in itself was preposterous, much less surviving long enough to be able to talk personally to the captain-commander of the Shinigami. I could only defend myself so long against ten or more Shinigami. I squeezed my eyes shut to prevent frustrated tears from escaping. Then what was I supposed to do if I can't ask for their help?

Someone beside me scoffed. "You think she's going alone?" Hikaru huffed, almost in an offended manner.

"Urahara-san, Shihouin-san—we're going with Megumi-chan, as well," Riana said.

I raised my head, completely confused. "But guys… They're Shinigami, and you're—"

"—We're Bounto. That's exactly why we have to go," Hikaru nodded. Yoruichi and Kisuke gazed at him intently. "Well, for one thing, there's no way I'm leaving this idiot alone to get slaughtered in their little lair. Another thing—Riana and I are going to fight in this 'big battle' as well. Takuya-oji is as much an uncle to us as he is to Megumi. We need to gain cooperation with the Shinigami so that they don't slaughter us… as one of the enemies, anyway."

"And although it may not necessarily work, they would be able to believe us more if we show up there ourselves," Riana replied.

"And if they don't accept you?" Yoruichi asked.

Hikaru shrugged. "We fight our way out, or at least die trying. And then we'll think of a different way to handle this by ourselves."

"So you two are willing to risk your lives in enemy territory with Megumi-chan?" Kisuke asked.

They both nodded. I smiled at them. "Thank you, you two." I turned back to Kisuke and Yoruichi. "These two are much stronger than I am."

The shop owner's expression was solemn and observant. "I believe you, but I'll need to see them with my own eyes. Your dolls, that is. May I?"

Hikaru lifted a brow. "Right now?"

"If you would."

The Bounto boy shrugged and stood up. He paced to the other side of the room to give his doll space. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Yseult ever since we were in the House of Horrors. It's funny how much I'd be thinking back to that place after so long. Hikaru pulled out his necklace that was hiding under his shirt, revealing the opal jewel that hung from it. "Show yourself, Yseult." The pendant glowed, emitting a surreal energy that flowed from the gem to the ground before him. In a few seconds, the energy dispersed, materializing into his doll—the ice wolf Yseult.

She's still as beautiful and enchanting as I remembered her. She was large enough to rival a lion, with every aspect of her body seeming to be made out of shimmering icicles. I could see my own reflection in her fur. Yseult moved her large head about, shaking little droplets of water here and there, before her silver eyes landed on me. Apparently, she recognized me and bowed her head. I returned the gesture.

"A charming animal, she is," Kisuke observed, a satisfied grin on his face.

Hikaru nodded and stepped forward, running his hand along the wolf's back. "This is Yseult. I'm pretty sure her powers are obvious. She can wield ice, but she's also agile and very strong." His hand stopped on her head.

There was a moment of silence as Kisuke continued staring at her, before he suddenly asked, "Can she do tricks?"

… And that quickly, the mood changed.

Hikaru quickly summoned a confused and somewhat frightened Yseult back into his necklace, and ignored the now disappointed Kisuke as he sat back down. "You're up, Riana."

His sister sighed. "Right."

As I watched her get up and walk to where Hikaru had been standing, I realized that I've never seen her doll before. I didn't even know what its dormant form was. I guess I should've thought to ask her about it, but something was telling me that she would rather not show or tell me.

"Riana hates fighting, so she rarely uses her doll," Hikaru whispered to me, as if hearing my thoughts.

I nodded understandingly. So like Riana.

"Show yourself, Duma," Riana murmured, holding out her left wrist. Encircling it was a thin metal bangle that began glowing. I knew I've seen the thing on her every day, but I never really… noticed it until now. It was just a plain silver bracelet, but it held some sort of elegance—especially on Riana. In the same manner as Yseult appeared, the energy materialized on the floor in front of her in the form of a slender feline.

"A cheetah, eh?" Kisuke observed as he fanned himself. "Interesting."

She was a really pretty cat. I didn't know much about cheetahs, but I could guess that Duma was probably the size of your average one. She had sun-kissed golden fur with black dots coloring her. Judging by the iron armor she donned—on her back, her legs, and the top of her head, all beautifully ornate—she was definitely an offensive doll.

"This is Duma," Riana said. "She has no set power but her agility, flexibility, and… lethality." One could definitely gather that from those knives sticking out of her paws.

"Riana and I both dislike fighting, but we will if the situation calls for it," Duma said with a bow of her head.

"Very interesting," Yoruichi commented with a smirk.

"She can talk," I murmured in awe. I think that's the first doll I've seen that can talk. "Can Yseult speak too, Hikaru?"

He smiled. "She can definitely talk, but she doesn't like to."

Riana called Duma back into her bracelet and went to sit down again. "Is that all you needed to see?" she asked Kisuke, who was grinning giddily.

"Yes, that'll do. I believe you three have formed the perfect line-up," Kisuke commented ecstatically as he fanned himself faster. "Duma as the front-line fighter, Yseult as the middle-range back-up, and Raiuta as the backline defense—it's perfect!"

Hikaru glanced around suddenly, as if just realizing something. "Hey, where's Mimi? She's here, right? She hasn't been at home lately," he said, scratching his head.

… Which reminded me that I had yet to tell them about my secret weapon.

Kisuke saw the look of sheer panic on my face and nearly laughed. "She's out for a little bit. She's going to stay here to help us hold the fort in case the Bounto try anything funny. You'll see her when I open the Senkai Gate for you," he paused. "Speaking of which, you'll need to meet me here once I get it prepared. Drop by a week from now."

"You're going to help us?!" I exclaimed, leaning over the table.

Kisuke grinned. "He is your uncle, isn't he?"

"Thank you so much, Kisuke!" I whimpered happily.

"An entire week? It takes that long?" Hikaru asked with a sigh.

"I could have made one faster, but you and your sister aren't souls," Kisuke said. "Megumi-chan can enter easier since she can become a Shinigami. I'll need to gather up the required soul exchangers in order to allow you through the gate as you are, though."

Riana put a hand on her brother and bowed to Kisuke. "Thank you so much for your help, Kisuke-san."

"In the meantime, I would suggest planning out what your course of action will be once you arrive there," he continued.

"The Shinigami there won't hold back," Yoruichi added.

"Yes. So start putting your heads together to maybe form a speech as to how you'll get the soutaichou to listen to you… And Megumi-chan, how about telling them a little bit of what you've learned during your training? It would help them a lot to know what you're strengths are," Kisuke asked, winking suggestively at me.

I giggled. "Heh heh, yeah, I should."

Kisuke sighed and stood. "Meet me here a week from now on Friday morning at seven o'clock sharp, okay?"

I bowed my head. "Until then!"

* * *

At the beginning of this one-week wait, I thought the end was never going to come. Hikaru, Riana and I would basically do nothing but either sit around at their house or my house. It was comforting to know that both Hikaru and Riana were so confident that Takuya-oji's safety was a given right now, but I still couldn't shake the anxiety inside that I felt. I really did hope that they were treating him well—and treatment as if he was a prisoner wasn't my definition of "well."

Some days we would spend the entire day talking about plans to follow once we got into Seireitei. For the first few days, our plans were nothing but an assembly of brainstorms from three different heads, but eventually we all decided on what we would plan on doing. It had a great chance of being foiled, but we knew our main goal: to get to the soutaichou.

We all decided that killing any of the Shinigami was a huge no-no, much to the disappointment of Hikaru. We would only fight if we had to defend ourselves, but our main objective was to hurry on over to Division 1, where the soutaichou most likely was. Duma would lead us, taking out anyone who got in the way, while Hikaru took the rest and I provided the healing. Speaking of which, I kept procrastinating on telling them the powers of my gourd.

Some may call me selfish… And to be honest, I am. I really didn't want to tell them that I could heal them.

Hikaru and Riana both want to be human again. And as much as I wanted to help them, I couldn't bring myself to; because if I healed them, then… They would disappear on into Soul Society. They would forget all about me and I would have no one anymore. Yukita and I had long since parted ways ever since… he and I started hanging out. They were all I had left in this world, besides Takuya-oji. And I didn't want to lose them.

I told them all the other qualities of Raiuta though, from how she was a defensive sword to how my gourd absorbed my blood for medicine. But if Hikaru and Riana ever got hurt and I had to give them that liquid… They would disappear, right? Did that mean there was no way that I could heal a Bounto without curing them first?

This was a big problem… But I forgot that was problem number three in this whole situation. Thirdly, I would have to explain to Hikaru and Riana that I could heal them—and if not, Mimi would definitely show them; secondly, my uncle had been kidnapped, now at the mercy of Bounto. But first and foremost: the problem I had forgotten to count until the night before our departure.

We all spent the night at my house this time, since it was closer to the shop. I had gotten extra mattresses and brought them out to the living room, where we connected them to make a huge bed. It was already lady—midnight, nearly—but none of us were tired. The moonlight was spilling in through the window behind us, soaking our heads in the milky color of the rays. Riana and Hikaru were on both sides of me, staring up at the ceiling.

"You know, Megumi, once we get there…" Hikaru murmured, his eyes frozen on the spinning fan above. "You'll see him again."

My jaw clenched. "… Yeah."

"Hitsugaya-kun is a captain," Riana mused. "He might be one of the Shinigami who'll try to stop us. We might have to fight him."

Hikaru turned his head to me. "Are you ready for that?"

I didn't answer him immediately, and to be honest, he caught me off guard. He was right; with our infiltration, we may as well attract the attention—and presence—of the one person I could never fight against. "I won't fight him," I stated.

"… You still love him, don't you?" Hikaru asked quietly.

I forced a laugh. "It's stupid, isn't it? Destiny is a cruel thing, to have us meet again like this…"

"You can't bring yourself to let go of him, even after all this time," Hikaru continued. "You've been trying hard. You haven't said his name once since that day, and you looked absolutely broken whenever anyone else did."

"You noticed?" I grinned sadly. "I know that this is completely cruel of me, but… even if… even if he raised his sword against you two, I'm not sure if I could strike at him."

"Megumi-chan…" Riana gripped my hand. "You don't need to force yourself for us. We can take care of ourselves."

Hikaru scoffed. "Megumi, if you can't face him again yet, there's no point in going to Seireitei." I didn't respond. "If you go, he's there. Even if you go and manage to somehow _not_ see him—which I doubt, considering he's a captain—and get their cooperation, you'll see him again on the battlefield. Eventually, if you go, you'll have to see him… Maybe even talk to him. If you're not ready for that, Riana and I will go by ourselves."

I flinched. "You know I want to be with you two, Hikaru—"

"You still love him."

"… Yes."

Hikaru looked away. "Say it."

Riana frowned. "Hikaru…"

"She has to accept this if she expects to get his help," he said. "Say it, Megumi—his name and everything. You can't keep yourself barred by your self-denial. Stop trying to forget about him, admit the fact that you can't, and free yourself."

I closed my eyes.

'_I haven't said his name in ages…'_

_( Hikaru's right, Gumi-chan. If you don't want any hesitation on the field, you'll break yourself free. )_

'_Raiuta…'_

Hitsugaya Toushirou—the name I had been trying to forget and the person I just couldn't bring myself to abandon. This is the first time I've allowed myself to bring his name back into my mind. As his name gushed back from my memory banks, memory after memory followed, enveloping me.

"_Hitsugaya Toushirou."_

"_You're such an idiot, Nagasuki."_

"_Do you trust me?"_

"_It was just a scavenger hunt through the rain."_

"_That monster took hours to cook…"_

"… _Don't blame me if you get sick."_

"_I won't let you die."_

"_It's over, Nagasuki."_

"_Friends? Don't make me laugh."_

"_Goodbye, Nagasuki."_

Everything came back to me all at once. His physique—his soft white hair, his beautiful teal eyes—everything came back. Some memories I welcomed, and some I flinched at; I could barely contain the tears the threatened to spill out my eyes. I'm such an idiot. Even after all this time, after I promised myself that I would forget about him and move on, I was fooling myself.

I had been from the very beginning.

"Well?" Hikaru pressed.

I opened my eyes, smiling bitterly at myself. "I love Toushirou. And it hasn't faded the slightest fraction, even since he left…" In all honestly, it only strengthened it. Right now, as I thought about him, I had only one desire that towered above everything else. "I want to see him again." This is what I had been training for.

_( YES! That's my master! You go, Gumi-chan—show him what he's been missing! )_

I guess destiny wasn't as cruel as I thought it was. It had Yoruichi train me for this exact purpose—to see Toushirou again.

Riana squeezed my hand tighter. "We're supporting you."

"Yeah, and once I get my hands on that little punk…" Hikaru punched a fist into the air, his blue eyes resolute. "I'm letting him have it!"

Riana and I both laughed, and I sighed. I almost expected to have broken down after bringing back Toushirou, but I actually felt—oddly enough—complete. "Now that I'm a Shinigami, I wonder how he'll react? … Or if he'll recognize me?" I forgot that I'd be appearing as a Shinigami, even fighting as one.

"… You know, not that I'm trying to defend him or anything," Hikaru suddenly mentioned, a look of contemplation of his face. "But he loves you too."

I laughed immediately. "Are you kidding me? Then why would he leave like that?"

"I don't know, but seriously, Megumi…" he paused, now serious. "If you saw the way he looked at you that one day—and the way he had completely forgotten where he was when he kissed you…"

My eyes widened and I sat up, glaring down at him. A potent blush crawled up to my face as I hissed. "You were _spying _on us?!" The memory of his birthday came back.

Riana was equally appalled. "Hikaru! Are you serious?!"

"I-I was worried!" he explained, waving his arms. "I didn't _mean_ to come across you two at that moment, promise!" And suddenly he paused again, contemplative again. "But I sure was surprised. I underestimated my rival… I should try harder next time—"

Riana grabbed my pillow and slammed it on his face, effectively shutting him up. "Stupid brother," she murmured under her breath.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. I couldn't get his words out of my head ever since he spoke them: _"He loves you too."_ That was absurd. If that was the case, why did he leave me—especially like that, without an explanation? Hikaru needed to get his brain checked. But then again, he did kiss me that one time… But that could've been out of gratitude for the party I threw for him.

Yeah. That had to be it. Toushirou respected his position too much to fall in love with a petty little human.

Hikaru and Riana were bantering behind me, slamming pillows into each other's faces, while I sat there quietly.

_( Hey, Gumi-chan, this might be a good chance to tell them about your super-blood. )_

I made a face. Super-blood? Even the name was as nauseating as its power…

'_You're right…'_

I sighed. "Guys… There's something I should tell you." They paused their battle. "Actually, it's something I should've told you right away."

Riana sat up, followed by Hikaru. "What is it, Megumi-chan?"

"Um… When we see Mimi tomorrow, she'll be a little older." Yeah, take twelve years, for example. When I saw their confused faces, I sighed. "Mimi started aging a few weeks ago."

"What?!" Hikaru exclaimed, grabbing my shoulder. "How?! She's a Bounto, she's not supposed to—"

"I know." I sighed. "Remember what I told you about my gourd?"

"It absorbs your wounds," Riana said.

"Yeah—my _blood_ wounds."

"Huh?"

"When I get a wound that spills blood, my gourd takes it—and then it goes through this 'purification process,' as Kisuke calls it, and becomes medicine. Remember?"

"What are you getting at?" Hikaru asked. His hand was trembling on my shoulder.

"My blood—my purified blood—heals and re-energizes people," I said, staring down at my lap. "And also… two drops of it cures a Bounto."

Riana gasped, and Hikaru's hand slipped off my shoulder. "So… You really have been the cure all along?" Riana asked, her eyes wide.

"Technically… I had to have had Raiuta in order for it to really work. Kisuke told me about it last week."

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Hikaru asked quietly, staring at me. "You know Riana and I want to be human again."

I hid my face. "If I healed you two, you both would disappear and be sent to Soul Society as spirits." I clutched the blanket between my fingers. "You two are my best friends. I didn't want you to leave…" I sniffed. "I'm sorry. I'm so selfish…"

"But then… Mimi…" Riana murmured.

"Kisuke asked her to prove his theories right, but she only took one drop. In just two and a half weeks, she's already my age, if not a little older. By the time the battle starts, she'll look like she's in her mid-twenties. She doesn't crave for reiatsu as much anymore, and some color returned to her skin—but she still has Usacho."

"So basically, if we took those drops now," Hikaru whispered, "We'd die."

I lowered my head. "Yes. It's… also what I intend to use to beat Yasuo and save the other Bounto."

At that, he promptly smacked the back of my head. "You idiot! You still should've told us!" he snapped. "And here I was, thinking that we'd never be able to take Yasuo down that easily…"

"Ow!" I yelped. "What?!"

"You think we would've left you?" Riana asked, almost in shock. "Megumi-chan, we may want to be human, but we can't just leave you."

"What? You aren't going to take it then?"

"Well obviously, we aren't going to now. As for later… I'm not sure yet," Hikaru said, crossing his arms. "It really depends on how things play out for Riana and me." After a few seconds, he collapsed onto his back laughing. The back of his hand fell over his eyes. "Imagine—the cure we've been searching for was right under our noses the entire time…"

"Let's not think about it now," Riana said with a gentle smile. "We can be human later, but right now we need to be Bounto."

I smiled at her and hugged her. "I love you guys."

She patted my softly on the back. "Come on, get as much sleep as you can. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

I nodded into her shoulder and fell back, staring up at the ceiling. "Wow. This is a crazy life, isn't it?"

Hikaru chuckled. "Yup. It sucks to be you."

I smacked him. "You two are with me, right?"

Riana laughed. "You're even going to ask?"

I sighed, this time out of drowsiness. "Heh, yeah…"

And for the next few hours I fell asleep, each of my hands clutching the hand of my best friends.

* * *

"Good mooorning, kids!"

Kisuke cheerfully greeted us as we met him and Yoruichi at the shop. All of us were groggy; all of us were not happy. However, only one of us could speak up…

"Hurry up and get us through the gate, old man," Hikaru hissed. He looked like he was on drugs.

Kisuke simply laughed.

By the time we had gotten to the basement, though, I was completely awake as the pressure of the upcoming minutes pressed down on me. I had jumped out of my body to leave it lying around the shop. I was nervous—and deathly so.

Mimi was waiting by some rocks and walked over when she noticed us. She had a couple more years added onto her, looking like an older teenager. Hikaru gaped at her. "Whoa, Mimi?!"

She blushed, still not used to people staring at her. I simply smiled. She was beautiful. "Stay focused," she snapped.

"She's right, Hikaru-san," Kisuke said in a song-song voice. He snapped his fingers, and in a second, a gate was pulled up—or, rather, the border of a gate. "This is the Senkai Gate," he announced. Tessai came from behind a rock, his arms behind his back. He bowed in greeting. "Tessai and I will be the ones holding the gate open for you."

"You have four minutes to get to the end of the gate. That's as long as it will hold," Yoruichi continued. I nodded. "It shouldn't be a problem for you. Megumi can flash-step, and I'm guessing you two can keep up."

We all nodded.

"Once you enter the gate, you'll be in a realm between the worlds," Kisuke said. "If you don't get to the other side in time, you'll be stuck in there forever."

I gulped. "The walls will chase you until you reach the end, so never look back." Yoruichi walked up to us. "They arrest spirit entities as well, meaning you _must not_, in any circumstance, use your zanpakutou. And Hikaru and Riana, you must refrain from using your dolls."

"Sounds interesting," Hikaru mused.

"I would go with you all, but I have some business to attend to. Plus, if they find out I've been training you, I would be in trouble," Yoruichi said.

"Not that that would stop her," Kisuke added in. "Now then, are we ready?"

To be honest, I was scared out of my mind. We had everything planned out, all except for the end and the in-between. What would happen to us? Would we even make it to the other side?

Hikaru and Riana both grabbed my shoulder. "Let's do this," Hikaru said with a comforting smile. Riana smiled and nodded.

"Wait," Mimi called. She stepped up to me, staring at my face. It was weird looking at her straight on, especially now that she was my height. Her eyes, which were usually filled with contempt towards me, however, carried a different emotion. "… Come back safe, okay?" she said.

I blinked. "Mimi…?"

_( Did the medicine do something to her head? )_

"I already lost Metsuki… I don't want to lose my other sister, too."

My eyes widened, and in a second, I smiled. "Thank you, Mimi." I laughed. "I'll come back. Until then…" I pulled something off my wrist—the friendship bracelet Metsuki left behind. I always wore it as a good luck bracelet. I handed it to her. "Hang onto this for me, will you? I'd hate myself if I lost it."

Mimi stared at the object and glanced back up at me. The tiniest of smiles stole her lips as she took my hand. "See you then," she said.

I nodded.

"Come on, Megumi-chan! Time's a-wasting!" Kisuke called.

"One more thing," I said, and trotted up to Yoruichi. She stared at me as I bowed to her. "Thank you for teaching me, Yoruichi-sensei. I learned a lot—thank you."

She laughed and patted my head. "When you get back and this whole mess is settled, I'll gladly torture you more."

I smiled at her and ran off back with Hikaru and Riana until we stood in front of the gate. "Okay, on the count of three, Tessai and I are going to open the gate. Right when it's open, you three jump in and run as fast as you can. Okay?"

We all nodded. "Ready guys?"

"Yes," they replied.

"Good luck," Yoruichi called as she watched from the side. I nodded at her.

"Ready? One… two…" He and Tessai both slammed their hands on the ground, creating a light that formed within the gate's frame. "Three!"

We jumped in at the same time, and disappeared within its depths. Behind me, I could barely hear Kisuke mention, "Give my regards to Hitsugaya-taichou!"

'_Ready, Raiuta?'_

She smirked.

_( I was _born _ready, Gumi-chan. )_

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_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

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**A/N:** Here we go! Megumi, Hikaru, and Riana are on their way to face the unknown realm of the Shinigami: Seireitei! What will happen in their time there? Will they need to fight? Will they be able to get Yamamoto's attention? Will Megumi see Toushirou again?! All this will be answered in the next chapter! So review, review, review!

Seriously, guys, I'm as excited as you are about Megumi seeing Toushirou again. That may sound weird coming from the author of this thing, but whenever I have writer's block and can't find the "mood" to continue writing at the moment, I get SO mad! I'm like "come on, what's wrong with me?! I wanna know what happens!" So yes, I do get mad at myself when I don't update for a while.

The next chapter is going to be a semi-important one (depending on where your priorities of importance are), so it might be a little longer until I release it. It has to be just right… hahaha. But that's what makes the story a little more exciting, eh?! So keep reviewing and staying tuned, because we're almost there!

Special thanks to:

**aminea88 (congrats on getting first review!), -lazy llama-, My Ashland, xxbloobear, dokuki, Lady Chaos 1011, Naruto-Lover227, RheaTheMeepoe, Shanni-chan, jazzmin92, Soup, erina destiny, Chryseilas, pinkatailmon, Kukino3, , Mai, xXxAiriinxXx, Hikari6007, Mari Ferolla, FailedWriter, iv, HeadstrongNozomi, MarginalMary, Oshima zakura, Megumi Yunai, BionicLemon, FrozenIceCream, Mournful Storms, Leopardstar, Onepiecewonder, Morbid Mello, The Rain Collector, LadyAmazon, hitsugayaXOX, ember-chan, Fantastico, viettvnt, .Oblivious, Riku727, SunsetRainbow, jennyz, 13Lulu's, anime0angel, joster13, makoko, NeferNeferi, TheAnonymousNinjaofDoom, Dragon of Twilight, kanameXakari, icedragon205, TheKingJingles, Zanyx, songo714, Immortal Eden, indigoia, avatar-chik, I'm a Reader, darkheart1992, Raine20oo, Sokuryokudo, Kyoutendouchi, Julie013, Serena Lockhart, KusajishiFukutaichou, Claamchowder, HANYAxtaiga, Starrysnow, HitsugayaDream, -Not, Melodicxstar, CarinaAiko, Vangcorra, CrieLaw13, hyourin-kusabana, kaito142, steel-alchemist, Satupilvi, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

See ya'll soon!

Signing out,

Bayo – Bayo!


	48. Infiltration of Seireitei

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

You guys never cease to amaze me. About 92 reviews in just 3-4 days, and PM's for me on top of that?! You guys are just too much! D: I'm sorry that this update is a little slower than the others, but I really wanted to get this chapter as good as it could get, seeing how it's supposed to be one of the most climatic chapters. :P However, I still don't feel like this was my best, despite how I re-wrote it like three times, haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

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**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

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_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

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**CHAPTER F O R T Y – E I G H T :**  
_"Infiltration of Seireitei"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

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Never in my life did I ever think that I would be doing this.

Just last September I had begun my last year in junior high as normal as any human girl at my age should be. My daily activities consisted of shopping, hanging out with my friends, walking around town, eating and sleeping; and it was all normal. I blended in with the rest of the humans in this big world, and I was fine with that. I never had a desire to stick out of the crowd, but then again, I never made a move to try to get in the crowd.

September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, and now June…

That much time has passed since my new life started. In comparison to the rest of my short life, nine months isn't a long time. But it was during that short time that everything that was supposed to happen in a later life bombarded me. I met Shinigami. I discovered that my best friend is a Bounto. I befriended the Shinigami. I befriended the Bounto. The Shinigami are out to get the Bounto. The Bounto are out to get the Shinigami, as well as me. My mom was basically a mother to the Bounto. Daijiro Yasuo is in love with my mother. Yasuo sees me as a replacement of Kyouwa Akina—a reincarnation. I became close to a certain Shinigami.

I fell in love with a Shinigami. My heart was broken by a Shinigami.

My sister is a Shinigami, and she died trying to save her twin sister. I received her Shinigami powers. I met Raiuta, my zanpakutou. Yoruichi and Kisuke helped tone my newfound powers. I know how to flash-step, walk on air, perform kidou and swing a sword. Yasuo abducted Takuya-oji. And now… I'm on my way to Seireitei, a place I'm not supposed to be until after I'm long gone.

One day—my meeting Hitsugaya Toushirou—was all it took to turn my life into an adventure. And now, after six months of vainly trying to forget him, I was so close to seeing him again.

I didn't know why I thought about this as I leaped into the gate with Riana and Hikaru. Maybe it was because this is where the climax of my life was; maybe it was because I had a feeling that it was all going to end soon.

I was terrified. No, "terrified" didn't justify the feeling that lay in the pit of my stomach, neither the anxiety that had a throne in my broken heart. The feeling was consuming me, throwing me in a pit… But it was this feeling that gave me the fuel to fight on until the very end.

"_You have to learn to control the fear that you have and turn it into strength."_

I think I was finally beginning to understand what Metsuki meant. I was terrified for my uncle. I was terrified when I thought about what I was going to do next. I was terrified for Riana and Hikaru. I was terrified about what I would do once I saw Toushirou again. But it was because of that fear that I was able to fight; it was because of my fear that I realized what fear did. It gave you power, resolve—it was the dividing line between cowardice and courage.

Jumping from the training grounds of Kisuke's basement and into the gate reminded me of jumping into a pool of jell-o. As soon as my body was swallowed by the mysterious light that filled the doorframe of the gate, I felt like I was being sucked into a totally different atmosphere—and it was dark.

Literally, extremely dark.

"Whoa, this is crazy!" Hikaru exclaimed.

Hikaru, Riana and I went from the hot and sunny basement into an alternate dimension of… somewhere else.

"Keep running!" Riana said. She didn't have to remind us—the walls closing in behind us would make anyone run.

It was like the walls surrounding us were made out of this bubbly, solid purple gunk. The air here was suffocating, and for the first time in my life, I think I had claustrophobia. I really didn't know how to describe it, but it was gross-looking…

_( Super nasty! Get out of here, quick! )_

'_Easy for you to say…'_

"Megumi, run faster! You're lagging behind!" Hikaru shouted over his shoulder. Both he and Riana were at least three feet ahead of me—I didn't know how they did it. I pushed myself harder until I was sprinting alongside them. "I thought Shihouin said that this wouldn't be a problem for you?"

"Sorry, I got distracted by the…" I paused. "… lovely scenery."

He rolled his eyes. "Can't you flash-step?"

With how much Yoruichi made me run, I _better_ know how to flash-step. "Yeah, but I don't know how long this place is. I don't want to run out of fuel before I get there! That would be _really_ bad." Unfortunately I _still_ couldn't run fifty of them back-to-back without getting deathly tired, but I could still keep a decent pace.

"I think I see the exit up ahead!" Riana said. "Is that it?"

Up ahead there was a block of light in the shape of a door. "Well, I don't see what other options we could take," I murmured halfway to myself.

"Let's go!"

Now that I saw what I hoped to be the exit out of this place, I was able to flash-step. Hikaru and Riana picked up their paces as the walls seemed to speed up. The door of light met us, ready to take us to what we were praying was Seireitei.

"Here we go!"

"Stay together, everyone!"

And we leaped out of the frying pan.

Before we flew through the exit (with space left to spare), I thought it would be a good idea to mentally and possibly physically prepare for what we might be greeted with; but all thoughts quickly fled as I suddenly realized that I was… airborne.

I was flying! Or rather, descending at an increasingly fast pace.

"Why are we in the sky?!" I suddenly yelped as I began flailing.

"Look down there!" Riana exclaimed.

It was like looking down through a window from an airplane. Little houses were scattered out in an organized pattern along the ground; and I could make out a white street stretching out between them. From up in the sky, the entire place looked like a maze built within a long wall that wrapped around the huge area.

We landed in a fairly vacant street without much problem. I straightened myself out and stretched my limbs after the running. Although I've never seen Seireitei (or had it described to me in the slightest detail for that matter), I knew that this was the place. The atmosphere was filled with hundreds of different reiatsu, all fairly large.

"Is this the place?" Hikaru asked.

"It has to be; there's huge reiatsu everywhere," I replied, gazing around in awe.

"For a Shinigami headquarters, it's really… nice," Riana commented.

She was right. From where we were standing, we looked like we were in a noble's land. White tile covered the wide streets that ran in every direction, and tall walls limited the space of the street. Buildings were organized within the walls, all of which reminded me of the old traditional homes of Japan. Despite homing large bodies of spirit energy, Seireitei wasn't too much different than Karakura; it had the same sky, the same air… There was even some plant life, as shown by the thick bushes lining the corners of the streets and walls here and there.

"What now?" Riana asked as she crossed her arms.

"Shh, I hear footsteps," Hikaru hushed.

"Quick, hide!" I murmured.

Luckily there happened to be bushes nearby, and the three of us dove into their sanctuary as we heard the mentioned footsteps approaching. Peering out through the shrubs, I saw three people, all of which were dressed in black kimonos. _'Shinigami… This _is_ Seireitei,' _I thought to myself. The three Shinigami—two men and a woman—paused in front of us. Hikaru nudged me to remind me not to make any noise.

"Are you sure they landed somewhere around here?" one of the men asked. He looked around suspiciously.

"I swear I saw them land on this street," the woman confidently replied. "They must have run away right when they landed."

"Do you think they're those Bounto the captains are looking out for?" the last one nervously asked.

"Bounto or not, we were ordered to eliminate all the ryoka," the first one replied.

"Are they in that shack?" the woman asked, pointing to a space next to us.

We waited as one of the men scuttled off to investigate, taking a few seconds before trotting back. "Nope, it's empty."

"Let's keep searching—they couldn't have gotten very far," she said.

We endured a few more minutes in the uncomfortable bush before we crawled out. Hikaru was picking out little leaves that were lodged in his hair as he mused, "Hmm. So they _were_ expecting us."

Riana brushed the junk that had gathered on her clothes. "It's not going to be easy for us to move around, especially looking like this…" she said as she stared at her attire.

That's right; everyone here was dressed uniformly. It wouldn't be bad if anyone else saw me, since I was dressed as a Shinigami; but Hikaru and Riana stuck out like sore thumbs with their normal clothing. I crossed my arms, a look of contemplation on my face… And then I remembered the shack nearby that the Shinigami kindly pointed out was empty. A small, devious smile slipped onto my lips. "Why don't we see if any Shinigami are willing to lend us their uniforms?" I asked.

Hikaru looked surprised at the question, but then he smirked. "Oh, getting diabolical now, are we?" he asked with a raised brow. "It's not a bad idea, but… The idea of me wearing the same clothes as that little white-haired punk—"

"Sounds good," Riana cut him off with a smile.

I grinned. "Okay, here's what we'll do. You two go back into hiding in those bushes and I'll watch for a couple Shinigami to pass by. I'll get them to wander on over into the shack and after that… Well, you know what to do."

"What?! I just got done picking off all the crap the bush got on me!" Hikaru whined.

"Come on, you big baby." Riana rolled her eyes and grabbed Hikaru, whom she began dragging back to their little havens. "Good luck, Megumi-chan!"

_( Woot woot, Gumi-chan! You show them what you can do! )_ Raiuta cheered as I trudged to the end of the street.

I sighed and leaned against the wall, waiting for people. I could feel reiatsu flitting around everywhere, but only a few came this direction… I guess they must've thought we wouldn't be sticking around the area where we landed for too long. Well, once we took care of our clothing problem, we wouldn't be staying here long, either.

I heard footsteps approaching, and just around the corner I saw a couple Shinigami turn. I almost smiled. Just my luck—a guy and a girl that looked around my age!

_( It's show time! )_

"Excuse me!" I called, waving my arm so they could see me.

They ran on over, and I had to try super hard not to look suspicious. "What's wrong?" the boy asked. Sweat lined his brow; he must have been searching for us for a while. Either that or he was really stressed.

"I-I just saw some suspicious people run into that shack over there," I replied, pointing. Just think new, fidgety, and terrified. "But I'm new to Division 4, and I'm not supposed to f-fight…"

The boy glanced at his friend and they both nodded. "Leave it to us," he said. "Stay here."

I moved aside as they took off again, and I said, "Be careful!"

Raiuta was cracking up. _( Oh, very smooth, Gumi-chan! )_

As soon as I saw them turn into room, Hikaru and Riana burst out of their hiding places and dashed in for the kill. The look on my face turned into that of sympathy. Oh those poor, unsuspecting victims…

I sighed and used the wall as my leaning post again, staring off. I can't believe that I'm actually here in Seireitei, the living place for all Shinigami. Not even while I was alive did I think that I'd ever find myself here. And if I didn't… Toushirou probably didn't, either. My eyes lowered. _'I wonder if he's looking for us, too?'_

_( I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees you, Gumi-chan! )_

I smiled. Knowing him, I'd probably get scolded hardcore and then sit back while ranted on how he never wanted to see me again…

"We're ready!"

I turned to see Riana and Hikaru, who were busy adjusting to their new clothes. As I looked them up and down, I couldn't help but laugh. "Ironically, those clothes don't look half bad on either of you!"

Hikaru twitched and held up his hands for him to look at. "I told myself I'd never be caught dead wearing one of these and now here I am… I'm so unfaithful to myself…"

"They're kind of comfy though," Riana commented with a cute blush.

"This should make traveling a lot easier," I nodded. "What did you guys do to the Shinigami?"

At the question, Hikaru's lips formed a wide, scary grin. "They're taken care of."

Riana sighed, and I decided that I really didn't want to know.

"We must've messed up their schedules for the day with our breaking in," Hikaru said as we took off in a random direction. "Any suggestions on where we might be able to find the head honcho?"

I had an idea of where to head towards at the beginning, but it was just speculation. "You know that big building and hill that we saw in the center on the way down? It looks like a place where the soutaichou would be."

Riana shrugged. "Better than any guess we may have."

I nodded and stepped it up a bit. "Okay, then let's take this turn and—"

BAM!

"Eek!" I screamed.

"Ow!"

Riana steadied me before I could fly back onto my behind, and I rubbed my aching forehead. Yeah, take this turn and maul the person on the other side… Good job, Megumi. "I'm so sorry!" I blurted, absorbing the little blobs of wetness that seeped out the corners of my eyes. I was running pretty fast… or he had a really hard head. "Are you okay?"

Unfortunately, my victim didn't have anyone to catch him and he lay sprawled on the floor… knocked out?! My jaw dropped in shock—but not only at that, but at seeing his face.

"Good job, Megumi," Hikaru sarcastically praised me. "You must've blown the poor guy into next week."

I yelped and fell to his side, gently slapping his cheek. "Hanatarou?!" I exclaimed. I barely knew him, but I met him on Toushirou's birthday. "I didn't think I was running _that_ fast!"

"I think it was partly due from shock that he fainted…" Riana blinked. "Come on, let's take him out of here. People might think we beat him up or something."

Hikaru pulled Hanatarou off the ground, and I steadied him as Hikaru pulled him onto his back. "Good thing he's light," he murmured.

"Come on, let's find another empty room," I said, my eyes glued worriedly on the poor Shinigami.

It wasn't a long jog until we found a set of stairs that led down to a small, but empty little room that looked like it had been inhabited not too long ago. It looked like a shed that stored… Medicine? I couldn't tell. Were we in Division 4 right now?

Hikaru propped Hanatarou against the wall and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, wake up," he urged.

There was a small, pained groan, and the boy's blue eyes fluttered open. Hanatarou raised his hand to rub his head, flinching. "Ow," he moaned. "Wh-Where am I?"

I kneeled next to him. "Are you okay, Hanatarou? I accidentally ran into you and… uh, knocked you out," I explained sheepishly. "I'm sorry. How's your head?"

"I-I'm okay," he stammered after a while, after catching a glimpse of my face. It didn't take long for him to realize who I actually was, and his eyes widened to size of golf balls and he pointed at me with a shaking finger. "N-N-N-N-… Nagasuki-san?!"

I grinned at him. "Didn't think I'd run into you again like that…"

"But-But how?! You're not… You're not dead, are you?!"

I laughed. "Nope, I'm still alive." Hmm, maybe Hanatarou would know how to get to the soutaichou directly, instead of us guessing his whereabouts. "Do you think you can help us out?"

"Us?" he repeated. His eyes finally left me, and for the first time he noticed Riana and Hikaru. He gasped. "You three aren't the intruders are you?!"

Hikaru bonked him on the head. "Stop yelling—they'll find us," he snapped.

"S-Sorry!"

"Hikaru!" I scolded. "Don't mind him. I promise that we don't mean any harm—we just need to talk to the soutaichou."

Hanatarou's eyes didn't move from Riana and Hikaru, but he gradually registered my words. "The-The soutaichou?" he stuttered. Finally he looked at me for a few seconds and looked away, as if saddened by something. "R-Right… If you say so, Nagasuki-san," he said.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He looked at me and looked down again. He bowed his head and said, "I'm very sorry, Nagasuki-san!"

Whoa. Huh? "What?"

His sad expression flitted to my face. "I'm the one who accidentally told about you and Hitsugaya-taichou… It just-just _slipped_ and the wrong people heard it! I'm so sorry! It's my fault that he got in big trouble—I'm very sorry!" The frown on his face was unbearable. "Please forgive me!"

"Hanatarou…" I murmured, unsure of what to say. I ignored the two other pairs of eyes that were baring holes in the back of my head as I smiled sheepishly and waved my hands. "D-Don't worry about it, Hanatarou—what's done is done. No need to apologize!" I replied.

His eyes widened just slightly in shock—as if he was expecting me to completely lose it and unleash my insanity on him—before the sorrow melted away into happiness. "Thank you so much, Nagasuki-san!" he beamed, a grateful smile on his face.

"Can I call you Hana?" I asked. His name was a lot to say.

"Of course!"

"Then you can call me Megumi," I grinned.

"Megumi-san," he nodded.

I turned to Riana and Hikaru, who were staring at me, completely lost. "Guys, this is Hanatarou," I said. "And Hana, this is Riana and Hikaru. Do you think you can help us find the soutaichou? It's really urgent."

He nodded, now energetic. "Yes! The captains and vice-captains were in a meeting right before you arrived. I guess the meeting was postponed since they're out here looking for you guys…"

Hikaru scoffed. "So the mini-honchos are out too, huh? They must think we're really dangerous." He growled and cupped his chin. "Hmm, this makes things more troublesome…"

"The soutaichou should be in the center of Seireitei supervising the search. You'll most likely find him there!" Hanatarou finished.

"So the guess was right," I said with a nod. "Thanks."

"Let's keep moving then," Riana said. "We don't want to stay in one place for too long."

"Right." I helped Hanatarou to his feet. "You should go first, Hana. We don't want people to think you're conspiring against Seireitei."

He nodded. "Can I ask you to do something for me, Megumi-san?"

I blinked. "Sure, what is it?"

The boy looked shy for a second, but then a look of pleading fell on his face as he stared me straight in the eye. "If you talk to Hitsugaya-taichou again, can you tell him that I'm really sorry?" he asked. "I've tried apologizing to him a lot of times, and though he says he's forgotten about it, I can tell that he still doesn't like me for what I did. Will you do that for me? I think he's getting annoyed with how much I bug him…"

"Um…" I stammered. "Oh, don't worry about that cranky guy. He can be a jerk like that sometimes. I'm sure it's not that he doesn't like you!"

He smiled. "Okay. Thank you!" He trotted up to the door and cautiously squeezed past it. "Good luck!"

"He's a nice boy," Riana commented as she watched the door.

"I told you," Hikaru nonchalantly commented, nudging me in the side.

I turned to him. "What?"

He threw his hands behind his head as he walked to the door. "That he still loves you."

Before I could retort, Riana patted my shoulder as she passed me. "I'm sure he'll make amends with you, Megumi-chan."

"Ugh—guys," I groaned, my words falling to deaf ears as they left. I sighed and followed after them. There was no way… Absolutely _no_ way that Toushirou missed me. He couldn't "still" love me if he never loved me to begin with. But…

"_I can tell that he still doesn't like me for what I did…"_

_( Why can't you just accept the fact that Hitsugaya is as crazy about you as you are about him? )_

'_Because it's just not _possible_!' _I replied, meeting Hikaru and Riana out the door.

Raiuta groaned and shut up.

"Wow," I murmured, suddenly tune to the swirling masses of energy around me. "The place is teeming with Shinigami now."

We wandered out into the street, but had to keep moving to avoid sticking out amongst the people buzzing around us. We had been in that shack for no longer than ten minutes, and once we come out, the place is crawling with Shinigami. It was busy before, but now it was an unorganized mess. They really wanted to find us that bad? I really hope Hanatarou was able to move around okay… Something was telling me that he was a lot like me: clumsy.

"I hope staying hidden isn't any harder than it is now," I said quietly.

"_Attention all Shinigami!"_

I groaned. "You jinxed it, you idiot!" Hikaru hissed.

"_The intruders are among us. The three intruders are dressed in the Shinigami uniform: two females and one male, all appearing young. One of the females has short black hair and the other has long dark hair; the male has red hair. Find these impostors and eliminate them without hesitation!"_

"They're onto us big time!" I whispered, panicky.

"They must have found the Shinigami we took the uniforms from," Riana said, equally worried.

"Don't worry about it," Hikaru said. "Look up ahead—we're almost there."

He was right; the road was opening to a small space at the base of the hill and where Hanatarou thought the soutaichou was. Only a little farther…

"There! That's them, right over there!"

We glanced up to see two familiar people pointing rudely at us from the roof of a building. "Those are the people that stole our uniforms!"

"I didn't think they'd wear our clothes," Riana mused.

Hikaru sniffed. "That shirt looked better on me anyway."

We skidded to a halt as we suddenly found ourselves surrounded. I looked towards the end of the road—we were so close! "What now?!" I murmured. We stepped back so that we were back-to-back with each other, facing our barricade.

"Doesn't look like we have a choice, do we?" Hikaru asked. For some reason, he looked excited rather than worried. "Oh well, I was kind of missing the action anyways!"

Riana sighed. "I really didn't want to have to fight…" Yeah, and I bet other Shinigami would wish the same thing after they get a taste of her doll…

'_Great,'_ I thought as I grabbed the hilt of my sword.

_( Finally, some fresh air! )_

"Show yourself, Yseult!"

"Show yourself, Duma!"

"Resound, Raiuta!"

And the battle officially started.

Hikaru was way too eager to just blast through the unfortunate people who got in his way; all of his brute force was probably a result of him craving the action that the Shinigami could definitely offer. Yseult rushed into the fray, the icicles on her body reacting like jumping cacti as they flew towards the enemy. Riana was a little more hesitant than her headstrong brother, and Duma simply had to swipe those deadly claws on her paws to show them that they simply did not want to try anything reckless.

However, when they saw the weakest link just standing there, the Shinigami who couldn't take on either of them came after me. And that equaled a lot of Shinigami.

I was avoiding at least three swords at once as they came at me from clever directions, and I leaped onto the rooftops of buildings to widen my range. I swung my sword around to trip up those that followed me and used kidou on the ones that were expecting the shock waves, but the turbulence emitting from the collisions was the only thing keeping them at bay.

'_Can't you do anything but defend?!' _

_( Believe me, I really want to kick butt too! )_

I knew that Raiuta was a strictly defensive sword, but there had to be _something_ offensive about her. Flash-stepping and blowing them away wasn't exactly beating them off…

I kept my eye on Hikaru and Riana though, to make sure that they were okay. Hikaru was definitely enjoying himself as he himself got involved, using hand-to-hand combat to fight them off. Yseult was as graceful as ever as she terrorized the Shinigami with her powers. Riana took a defensive position in the middle, controlling the lethal Duma from the side while fighting off anyone who reached her. I didn't know that she knew martial arts… But with decades of prolonged life, even I would try to take up some form of fighting.

The battle wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. That is, until some captains joined the fight.

Lower-ranked Shinigami backed off as their captains leaped into the scene with a flashy entrance. I didn't recognize any of them. The one that took on Hikaru was a tall, elegant and noble-looking man with long black hair. Riana was starting a fight with a shorter female captain with black hair and a very athletic build.

I could already feel my opponent approaching—and quickly from behind. Before I knew it, they were right on top of me. I swung around just in time to block a blow from a long sword.

I fought to hold them off while taking in the captain's face at the same time… and I gasped. Time seemed to slow to a complete stand-still, and we were both frozen.

Big eyes—teal green in hue—widened slowly from behind the blade.

I struggled to find my voice as the one name that I haven't so much as breathed in half a year escaped my lips:

"Toushirou…"

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

* * *

**A/N:** Aaaaaand that's the end of 48! I hope you all enjoyed the trio's attempt at sneaking around Seireitei undetected! I love Hanatarou… He's like, my second-favorite out of the whole series, next to Toushirou of course. :) As for the Senkai Gate spitting them out _inside_ Seireitei (for all of those who are wondering about that), I think that the place where the gate sends them in Soul Society is random. I was re-watching the episode where Ichigo and his friends break into Soul Society, and all the Shinigami were getting geared up and ready to defend Seireitei; and it was because of that (the Shinigami were talking about how they landed outside Seireitei and in Rukongai, and they relaxed) that I think that the place where the invaders are dumped is random.

So, to make things easier for our young heroes, I decided to dump them right in Seireitei. :)

Hahahaha, I know that a lot of you were expecting Toushirou to come back very soon… and he HAS! Hahaha, and since I'm such a mean author, I put him in as a cliff-hanger. Yes, use Toushirou for evil… :)

I hope you all enjoyed it! :) I'm working on the next chapter as I'm writing this, so I hope to have that one up soon.

And thank you SO MUCH for how quickly you guys review! Oh my goodness, over 90 reviews in just 3 days! I'm so happy and lucky to have you all as my reviewers… You all are amazing. :) You know, you guys tell me this all the time, but I have yet to register it… But not only does Furareta have fans, but so do I! I love you all!

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

**indigoia, 13Lulu's, HeadstrongNozomi, viettvnt, xXxAiriinxXx, Satupilvi, FailedWriter, Naruto-Lover227, FrozenIceCream, iv, Arin-chan, Ikara-o-Kage, Sakiru Yume, Dragon of Twilight, Mari Ferolla, I'm a Reader, Claamchowder, HitsugayaDream, FireWingedWolf, flora236, jennyz, missy, ShioriOokami, Riku727, Megumi Yunai, songo714, RheaTheMeepoe, hitsugayaXOX, TheKingJingles, crystalstar83, aminea88, Leopardstar, NamineNasha, The Rain Collector, makoko, raesigns, joster13, steel-alchemist, avatar-chik, ember-chan, LadyChaos1011, Serena Lockhart, GothicCinnamon, triggerspec, CrieLaw13, BLACKROCKER, -lazy llama-, dokuki, pinkatailmon, ai-bleach, ANONYMOUS REVIEWER, , Shanni-chan, Aqua4, My Ashland, jazzmin92, Zanyx, kanameXakari, SunsetRainbow, Mai, Karupin.69, Oshima zakura, hyourin-kusabana, kaito142, -Not, LadyAmazon, Hikari6007, Immortal Eden, MaruiBuntaWorshipper, XxSilentMoonAngelxX, Shuuki, XCrissCrossX, Onepiecewonder, darkheart1992, Mournful Storms, Crimmy, KurokamiHaruhi, CRdragonPyro, sAppHiRa-hiMe, julie013, Visualrocker, fanny-kun, Chibiussa, Melodicxstar, erina destiny, HitsugayaFanGirl, sleeping cat, Hakano, CreatorOfMyOwnLittleWorlds, rispah, BionicLemon, lill'goddess, THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**Wow, that's a lot of bold… and names! I love it! Thank you faithful and new reviewers!**

I hope to update soon… I have a little surprise for next chapter! You can all probably guess what it is though…

Snap, the watermelons are upon us!!!

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!


	49. Dream or Reality

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

First of all, I'm so happy that you guys enjoyed the last chapter! :) I personally didn't think it was the best, but I'm glad some of you really loved it. We're over 100,000 hits guys! That's amazing! Oh my, Furareta has truly come so far… (sniff, sniff) Oh my, I'm becoming so emotional. D: It couldn't be because we only have about 10-15 chapters left… and maybe even less! I don't know how long it will take me to get finished, but I do know this: it's soon, and it will be done by the end of the summer!

But we'll save that for the true end; right now, for some it's just the beginning! Now read on, reader and (hopefully!) reviewer—read on!

Haha, I had so much fun writing this chapter…

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F O R T Y – N I N E :**  
_"Dream or Reality"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Kanashimi no Kizu" by Kitade Nana_

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

I just _knew_ that something bad was bound to happen. Ever since I first got the message last night that there was to be a captain and vice-captain's meeting today, there was a bothersome, unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn't shake. The churning had kept me tossing and turning in the course of the night, leaving me with zero hours of sleep to run on a day that would surely require one hundred percent of my energy.

I just _knew_ that it was only a matter of time until chaos struck—things had been to serene during the past months—but what I didn't know was that chaos had started brewing months before I even suspected anything. No, trouble began weeks before today, dating all the way back to the start of the New Year, probably. It was hiding in the shadows undetected, building on itself as day after day passed, training itself until the time of the strike was precisely right.

I had expected that chaos would come—and now, it was staring me right in the face with memory-striking cobalt eyes.

Let me start at the beginning of this horrendous day. (I was beginning to remind myself of Hyourinmaru—always giving these annoying foreshadowing…)

The day started out on a wrong note, for one thing. The night before, just as I was about to leave my office, I was notified via messenger that there was a captain and lieutenant's meeting the next morning. What I first noticed was that a hell butterfly hadn't come to deliver the message; it was a Shinigami. That meant that this was important. The next thing I noticed was that this meeting (which we had been anticipating for several weeks already) was not just a captain's meeting, but a vice-captain's meeting as well. Those were extremely unusual and rare. The next thing I noticed was that this meeting was taking place the day right after Ukitake returned, so it probably had something to do with his mission.

That night I couldn't sleep, for reasons I didn't really know. So there was a little change in the usual, and I was probably going to hear news that would perk up the rest of Gotei 13; it was surprising, but it wasn't really shocking enough to rob my sleep from me. But it wasn't just that (which I realized at three o'clock in the morning); I was anticipating something dreadful. Hyourinmaru tried to help me brush the unusual thoughts off, but they wouldn't go. And there I was plagued, tossing and turning in my bed, until dawn broke through my window.

Thus began my horrendous day.

What didn't help was when Matsumoto started off the morning as perky and piping as ever.

"Hey, taichou, do you know what the meeting today is about?" Matsumoto asked on our way to the meeting. She had just finished a rant on how she couldn't find her hair brush this morning and resorted to using a fork, something she had seen practiced in a movie—which she generously began babbling about. Some cartoon about mermaids and princes and forbidden love—typical things that attracted the eyes of Matsumoto Rangiku. What annoyed me the most was that while she was watching this movie, she could have been doing her paperwork like she was _supposed_ to be doing…

I had just about enough of listening to her talk for the first fifteen minutes of our time together (she bugged me in my office as I was straightening things up there—she was actually early, for once), and I was just about ready to tell her so, until she finally changed the topic to something mildly interesting.

"I'm not sure," I replied as I massaged my temple. "It might have something to do with Ukitake's patrol in the human world. He just returned yesterday."

"Oh, that's right—he's back!" Matsumoto exclaimed. "Who else would leave mountains of candy on your desk? And here I thought that was a move from one of your admirers…"

I cringed at the remembrance. This morning I had gone to organize books and papers in my office (It was better than lazing around in my room wide awake) to discover that someone had sneaked in and left a mountain of random sweets on my desk. Somewhere buried underneath the pounds of the cavity-inducing candies was a note from Ukitake himself, bidding me "happiness with lots of yummy human candy." I would never understand that man…

Matsumoto and I arrived with minutes to spare in the meeting room. We took our assigned spots between the twelfth and eighth division captains.

"Morning, Hitsugaya," Kyouraku Shunsui greeted me with a grin, something typical I saw from the man whenever I passed by him.

"Good morning, Shunsui-taichou, Ise-fukutaichou," I replied. Hmm, Shunsui and Ukitake were good friends, so he would probably know what the meeting was about.

"Should be an interesting meeting, eh?" he continued. "It's not often that our meetings are graced by our lieutenant's presence."

I bit back a scoff. I don't know about "blessed"…

"Not that I mind, of course," he added. "I do love having Nanao-chan around~"

The woman sighed, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "Please, taichou, try to focus."

"Good morning, Nanao-chan!" Matsumoto perked before diving into a pointless conversation. Better her than me…

I sighed and crossed my arms. I didn't know why I was so impatient.

We didn't have to wait for too long before the remaining captains showed up. Yamamoto firmly tapped the tip of his staff against the ground, signaling everyone to be silent.

"We will commence the meeting." His deep voice bounced off the walls. "I'm sure most of you were aware that Ukitake-taichou has been patrolling the human world for the past few weeks," he began. Both of his large, bony hands rested on the blunt top of his staff. "Upon his return, he was able to offer us valuable information concerning our current problem: the Bounto."

We waited silently throughout his introduction.

"Daijiro Yasuo, the leader of the remaining Bounto, is kidnapping humans and turning them into Bounto," he said. "So far, seven official kidnappings have been reported; but there could be more that we do not know about.

Seven kidnappings?! And possibly more? Yasuo was becoming bolder in his actions. He never used to involve humans unless they forced themselves into his agenda. Now he was being so brave as to steal other humans and turn them into Bounto? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised… But why now? Does he have something planned?

The same questions seemed to bother the other captains and lieutenants, but Yamamoto didn't look like he had more information to offer. "We cannot allow Daijiro Yasuo to endanger anymore humans. Our only option is to exterminate them all before this can spread."

"Yamamoto-soutaichou," Ukitake interjected. "I'm not against punishing Yasuo and his accomplice, but I believe there is a way to save the other Bounto."

"Do you have more information, Ukitake-taichou?" Yamamoto asked.

"No, this is merely a guess. I would like to believe that there is a way to change the humans who were turned into Bounto back into humans and save them that way, rather than having to kill them."

A way to save the Bounto—some sort of antidote. That sounded like something _she_ would say…

"We cannot keep them alive based on guesses, no matter how righteous the reason," Yamamoto responded. "However, if anyone happens to discover a working alternative, you must immediately report it to me."

"Did Ukitake-taichou meet a Bounto during his time there?" Kurotsuchi asked. "How reliable is this information?"

You could always count on Kurotsuchi to question the foundation-less reports. His obsession for knowledge could become annoying, but his persistent prying usually brought about even more interesting points.

Ukitake simply smiled. "I received it from a very reliable source."

Obviously, the mad scientist wasn't satisfied with the answer. But before he could question further, there was an abrupt knock on the door and it creaked open to reveal a messenger—a Shinigami from Division 12.

"Forgive my interruption, sir," he said. The look on his face was urgent. "But Kurotsuchi-taichou, we have a security breach! Three unidentified ryoka arrived through the Senkai Gate and landed in Sector 12!"

"Ryoka?" Matsumoto gasped. "Wow, it's been a while, huh?"

I narrowed my eyes. We haven't had an intrusion since the last round of Bounto broke in. Could more Bounto have invaded? But if that was the case, why were there only three of them?

Yamamoto shared my curiosity. "This could be the Bounto we're looking for," he said. "The meeting will be adjourned until after the ryoka are caught and destroyed. You all will participate in the search. Find the intruders and eliminate them!"

We all kneeled, and we flew out of the room.

By the time we got outside, there were already Shinigami flying around everywhere trying to locate them. I closed my eyes and tried to pick out foreign reiatsu. "They're hiding their reiatsu," I murmured to myself. That's smart of them. "Matsumoto, let's split up. We'll meet again here after they're found."

Despite how lazy the vice captain was when it came to work, when it came to an emergency situation, she was probably one of the best lieutenants on the job. (If I ever admitted that to her, I would never hear the end of it… From both her and my stupid dragon.) Matsumoto and I had gone back to Division 10 to grab earpieces to stay in contact. "Yes, sir!" she said, and promptly flash-stepped away.

I adjusted my earpiece. I didn't know where to start looking first. The messenger said that they had landed in Sector 12, but there was little chance that they would be staying around there for too long. Could it be Yasuo himself that invaded? But then why would he have left the rest of his Bounto and come in a group of three?

Whoever it was that broke in, they were doing a good job of hiding themselves; even after half an hour, not a trace of them could be discovered. I could sense nothing out of the usual in the air as I searched, meaning that they were still hiding their reiatsu. Suddenly my earpiece buzzed.

"_Taichou, I just found a couple Shinigami near Division 4 who had their uniforms stolen from them,"_ Matsumoto said. _"So I'm assuming one of them came already dressed as a Shinigami. I just sent a message to the soutaichou reporting it. You'll hear a description of them in an announcement, probably."_

"Got it. Good work, Matsumoto," I replied.

Sure enough, the announcement did come. I saw a hell butterfly hovering above.

"_Attention all Shinigami!_"

I kept moving, keeping my eyes on anyone who looked suspicious.

"_The intruders are among us. The three intruders are dressed in the Shinigami uniform: two females and one male, all appearing young. One of the females has short black hair and the other has long dark hair; the male has red hair. Find these impostors and eliminate them without hesitation!"_

Two girls and a boy? "Young" people managed to break through? We really needed to get our security upgraded…

_( They should be much easier to find now, Master. )_

'_I guess—but do you realize how many other actual Shinigami here have that same description?'_

If they had broken into Seireitei in a smaller group, they probably didn't plan on taking on all of Gotei 13 right now; actually, it was very possible that they came to deliver a message or something, since the group is so small. Yes, that made more sense; perhaps Yasuo sent a few Bounto carrying a message from him to the soutaichou. If that were to be the case, then my best bet in finding them would be on the way to where the soutaichou would be: the center of Seireitei.

I flew towards the direction, listening for anything that might give away the enemy. It wasn't long before I reached the small area that lay deserted right before the entrance of the building in the middle… And in that exact same second, three distinct bodies of reiatsu flared into detection among the buildings that bordered the edge.

I could immediately label them: two Bounto and a Shinigami.

I flash-stepped as quickly as I could to the scene to see two familiar faces fighting on the street: Minamoto Hikaru and Riana. Seeing them startled me. I thought that they had branched from Yasuo's group? Did they return? Did they… betray her? But they were with a Shinigami… On a roof next to the battle scene were a couple of Shinigami dressed in different attire: clothes from the human world. They must be the Shinigami who had their clothes stolen from them.

Apparently I wasn't the first captain to come upon them; Kuchiki Byakuya and Soi Fon already began a fight with them.

That left me with the final intruder: the Shinigami.

I could feel her reiatsu steadily rising; in the distance I could see the dark hair tat described her flying as she defended herself with an unusual gold sword. Was she someone who had been banished from Gotei 13? Or was she just a branded traitor?

It wouldn't matter; I would have to kill her anyway.

Until I could draw out her strengths, I wouldn't summon Hyourinmaru; so I brandished my katana and flew at her, rearing back my edge. The Shinigami who noticed me fled from the scene, but she didn't seem to notice; she was focused on the Bounto fighting below her, making sure they were okay.

She was a rookie. She really should learn how to look out for herself.

She surprised me, though, when she reacted quickly to my attack. Sensing me coming, she spun around to block my blow with her strange sword—and our blades crashed. The sound of booming thunder blew in my ears, and a blast of turbulence threw me—but not before I saw her face.

The shocked, frozen face of chaos itself in the form of Nagasuki Megumi.

She whispered my name in that horrified, innocent voice that instantly disabled my lungs and increased my heart rate by infinity. In her clear cobalt eyes, I could make out my stupefied expression which clearly reflected the single question that stormed in my mind:

_WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?_

* * *

**( NAGASUKI MEGUMI )**

The sonic boom resonated from my sword, and it tossed both of us back several feet. His wave of reiatsu wafted against my face, as did the familiar scent; and just that quickly, I was lost. For that moment, I had forgotten how to breathe. My eyes were as wide as saucers and my body was like ice—I couldn't move. I stood there, completely stationary, with my sword dangling beside me.

I knew I was going to see him again… I thought I was prepared. But now that I finally have… it was so—

'_He's… He's right there.'_

—so unreal.

_( Haha, look at his _face_! Where's a camera when you need one—I mean, focus, Gumi-chan! Now's not the time to be gawking! )_

I barely heard her. All that I could see, all that I could register, and all that I wanted to realize was that he was there. After being apart for so long, I was finally able to be here and stand with him, just like we used to do… I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life. What was that quote? Distance makes the heart grow fonder… It was so true. I didn't even know how much I missed seeing him and just being _near_ him until he was right there—almost close enough to grab.

_( Gumi-chan. Seriously. FOCUS! You're not even holding your sword right! )_

'_I'm not dreaming, right…?'_

_( No, sweetie, you're not—which means you stop spacing out NOW and PAY ATTENTION! There are Shinigami here who were ordered to kill you! )_

As soon as those words began echoing in my mind, the action continued. Metals clashed, and I was thrown out of my daydream and back into Seireitei.

Well, first of all, Toushirou disappeared. In the blink of an eye (not that I was blinking—I was afraid he would've left if I had), he was gone. At first I thought that I had mistaken another Shinigami for him, and began to feel stupid for standing there gawking at a total stranger—but there was no way that I could have done that…

_( For heaven's sake, Gumi-baka (1)! If you end up dying, so help me I'll… )_

I turned. The fluttering edge of a white haori greeted me as I found the back of Toushirou behind me. What was he doing there? A look over his shoulder showed me that he had just blocked a sword from another Shinigami, blowing him back a long ways. My eyes widened. Wait—did he just _defend_ me?

"What's Hitsugaya-taichou doing?"

"Yeah, he totally had her!"

"Do they know each other?"

The watching Shinigami around us seemed to be asking themselves the same question. I stood there with my eyes wide and confused—and suddenly I felt a surge of anger.

What is he _doing_?!

First he pretends to be my friend, next he breaks my heart and totally rejects me, after that he leaves without an explanation and fools everyone into thinking that he just made the worst move in his life, he just now saw me and looked like he was looking into the face of Bloody Mary herself, and now he had just protected me?! What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he make up his mind?! Did he have any idea what he was doing to me?! He's supposed to be fighting me—trying to _kill_ me, not saving me! Is he mocking me?!

My reiatsu was flaring, and he seemed to notice.

He turned to me with the kept expression that I was used to seeing him in, and he scowled as he looked at me. My glare was ten times worse. "What are you doing here?!" he snapped, unfazed.

I don't know what had come over me, but before I was thinking straight my hand moved, there was a hard _slap_, and my palm was hovering in the air and his left cheek was suddenly glowing with my handprint.

There was an awkward silence and a collection of gasps.

_( Oh… SNAP… )_

Toushirou's eyes were wide as he stared at me, speechless.

I couldn't take it anymore. I don't usually suffer from mood swings, but suddenly I was furious! In slapping him, I had dropped Raiuta to let her dangle by her wrist strap—and I quickly gathered her up and jumped back, falling into a defensive stance. "You _idiot_!" I shouted as I flew at him.

_( Whoa, Gumi-chan! Don't do anything rash— )_

'Shut up!_'_

_( Eep! Y-Yes ma'am! )_

Toushirou moved just in time to evade my swing and a large shock wave flew from my sword, emitting small electrical jolts. Shinigami yelped as they dodged. "'What are you doing here'—is that all you can say after _abandoning_ me for six months?!" I screamed again, and flash-stepped towards him.

"Nagasuki, calm down!" he shouted back, blocking Raiuta with his sword. He skidded back a long ways and I used the ricochet to propel me forward.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I yelled. "You're supposed to be fighting me—trying to _kill_ me! Isn't that what you were ordered to do?! Why did you stop him?! Don't pity me, Hitsugaya! I'm tired of you always _mocking_ me!"

Toushirou smoothly evaded all my swings, but his face was focused steadily on my face. "Nagasuki—"

"This should be easy for you, shouldn't it?!" I interrupted him. Was he trying to smooth-talk his way out of this? I wouldn't have it! "After all, you having been _lying _to me this entire time!"

Finally he growled and flew back at me, using Hyourinmaru to shove me back as I blocked his sword. I skidded along the sky. I didn't realize that we weren't on the roof anymore—and that dozens of pairs of eyes were staring at us right now. "_You're_ the idiot_—_you don't know what happened!" he shouted as he charged at me.

I slammed my sword against his as he came down at me. Hyourinmaru bounced back, but he kept his ground against the sonic boom, as did I. He was definitely stronger than I was, and his sword was hundred times heavier; I let the blade side as I smoothly swept around him. This was new, though; there were small electrical sparks snapping around my blade.

"And whose fault is that?!" I asked. "You just left without giving me any explanation!" I groaned angrily. "You are such a big fat _jerk!_"

"Why are you here then?!" he shot back.

"What?!" I retorted. "You thought I came here to see _you_?!"

"I didn't _say_ that, you _imbecile_!"

"Then what _are_ you saying, jerk wad?!"

"Are you deaf?! I just asked the reason why you're here!"

I laughed. "What does it matter to you? Get rid of the intruders without hesitation—why aren't you doing it, Hitsugaya-taichou?!"

"Retard," he barked. His face was still twisted into a glare. "Because if you risked this much to come to Seireitei, I expect that you would at least have a decent reason."

_( Gumi-chan, you're here to save Takuya-oji! Not start a lover's quarrel! Get it together! I thought you said killing Shinigami was a big no-no?! Why are you taunting him? Do you _want_ to die?! )_

I growled.

She was right.

My temper was still flaring—I was still furious—but I was beginning to take back control now. All that moving was a good outlet. My body was shaking violently with my anger still, though, and my heart was pumping wildly as his face filled my vision. "You don't care," I sneered, steeling my stance.

_( Gumi-chan, if anyone here's going to listen to you, Hitsugaya will, you idiot! Why are you trying to fight away some of your only supporters?! )_

'_I… I can't… It's his fault! I'm so confused! Why did he just leave me like that and now is… I don't get any of this! I'm so _frustrated_!'_

Raiuta sighed. _( Believe me, girl, I know you're frustrated. Heck, I would be too. But consider this: he was lying to you… about lying to you! This guy really has a heart for you, Gumi-chan—why else wouldn't he have wiped you out yet, especially after you blew up at him? It's clear to anyone and everyone else! )_

I groaned; there was a migraine coming.

Why haven't I considered it? Because it was just… impossible. There was no other explanation… It just wasn't possible! Everyone else could say it, but I refused to believe it—not unless I heard it from his own lips. And knowing him, I wouldn't be hearing that ever.

"You idiot," I murmured. My temper had finally subsided, with sadness replacing it. Sadness, confusion… It was just too much for me to bear at once. Takuya-oji was waiting for me to help him, and we only had one week left. What am I doing here? I had totally forgotten the reason I'd come… I wanted to get help, but here I was, blowing up and swinging at the one person I told myself I would never fight. What's wrong with me?

'_I'm sorry, Raiuta…'_

_( Gumi-chan… )_

I had been looking down at my hands, which were clenching the hilt of my sword—the hands I had come to use to ask for help, not for striking at Toushirou with. Tears dripped onto them as I scolded myself. Now he probably didn't trust me anymore, thought that I was working for Yasuo—

"Nagasuki." His voice was so near. I gazed up at him from my downtrodden form, changed from a temperamental monster to a slobbering mess. He had already sheathed his sword, the expression on his face calm and… worried? His teal eyes froze me as he scrutinized my face, reading me like he was so good at doing. "Tell me what happened." It was worded like an order, but his tone was soft and gentle.

I sniffed and looked at his hand, before gently tugging out of his grip. I whispered another apology to Raiuta before sheathing her slowly. He watched me the entire time, patiently waiting for an answer.

"He… Yasuo... took Takuya-oji," I murmured, wiping at my tears. I made sure I wasn't crying anymore before I faced him fully. "I have a week to get all the help I can find to get him back safely, and I came to ask for the Shinigami's help."

His expression was every bit professional: calm, cool, and collected. It helped me put my thoughts together; but I could still see the look of renewed urgency in his expression. "The Minamoto's are here with you?"

"Yes. Don't worry, they're good." I reached into the fold in my kimono to pull out the note Yasuo had left me. "Yasuo left me this last week. I need to talk to your soutaichou."

"Need the Shinigami's help, you say?"

Toushirou's eyes looked over my shoulder, and he slowly kneeled. I blinked and glanced over my shoulder. There was a largely built older man standing there with a large staff staring at me. Something was telling me that the guy I needed was right there. How long has he been there?

"You are Nagasuki Megumi, correct?" he asked in his deep, commanding monotone voice.

I shifted so that my body completely faced him. "Yes."

"I knew you were a daring human, but I never thought that you would be among the intruders I ordered to eliminate," he responded. "You break into Seireitei illegally and injure my Shinigami. What right do you have to ask for our help?"

I bowed. "I'm truly sorry, but there was no other way," I said. "Please, I need as much help as I can possibly get."

Yamamoto stared at me for a moment before his dark, beady eyes focused on the item I held in my hand. "Is that from Daijiro Yasuo?"

I had forgotten I was holding it. "Yes, he left it in my house a week ago."

He didn't move anything but his mouth—he was like a statue. It was extremely daunting. The large, bony hands that lay on the top of his staff tapped thoughtfully on the side with a long finger. "We could use your information," he said. "Very well, you may have your audience. However, I will not overlook the damage and confusion you've caused us."

I dipped my head. "Thank you."

"Hitsugaya-taichou, take your post in the meeting room," he ordered. He looked upon the many faces that looked up attentively at the scene. "This will be an all-captain's meeting. Everyone else, return to your duties and repair the damaged sites."

I turned to see Toushirou standing up to leave. Our eyes met just briefly then—true eye contact, our first one in half a year, with us both accepting the fact that the other person was truly, physically there. The gaze lasted for just a second. There was an expression on his face that I couldn't describe in words, yet it was enough to make my heart stop; but before I could even say anything—a hello, a goodbye, a thank you, or an apology for fighting him—hesitance and pain briefly crossed his features as he broke the contact and flash-stepped away, leaving me bewildered. I stared blankly at the spot he had been standing in, my hands clenched tightly at my sides.

Yamamoto walked in my direction. As he passed me, he whispered, "I can't decide if you're a fool or just superbly earnest." I kept my face blank as he left to join his captains.

I descended back down to where Hikaru and Riana (they had already called back their dolls) were waiting for me while avoiding meeting the gaze of our peers. Whispers erupted around us as our group reunited. I grinned sheepishly at them. "Sorry for exploding back there, guys…"

"Are you kidding me?!" Hikaru exclaimed, playfully slapping me on the shoulder. He was scratched up in some places, looking like a kid that just got out of a fight and won. His expression was just as juvenile. "That was _awesome_! You should've seen yourself—all the Shinigami were jumping out of the way when they saw that weird lightning wave coming at them!"

I blinked. "Lightning wave…?"

Riana smiled. She retained some scratches here and there. "It was a lovely sight, Megumi-chan—it sounded like a thunderstorm! And by the looks of it, it _looked_ like it was about to thunderstorm too."

Hikaru threw an arm around my shoulder as he led Riana and me over to where Yamamoto was heading. "You're like a maelstrom when you're angry, Megumi. If you could call on all that negative energy every time you're fighting, you'd be pretty formidable."

I was so confused. Did I really almost cause a thunderstorm? Did Raiuta possess powers that I still haven't unlocked yet? I thought about it for a second, and decided that it didn't matter anymore; we had gotten what we wanted, even if it cost us a little damage here and there—mentally and physically.

And as we entered the tall, dimly-lit meeting room and met the expressionless face of the captain-commander sitting at the far end, I knew that we still had a long way to go before it was a mission-accomplished.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Kimi ga Iru Kagiri" by Stephanie_

* * *

**A/N:** (1) = "idiot"

After 11 chapters, they finally reunite!

Okay. So you know how for chapter 38 (Fade to Black—when Toushirou left Megumi) I received 104 reviews? That chapter had been my most reviewed chapter…

Up until now.

I guess I should have expected it because it was a huge thing that you guys have been waiting for but… 111 reviews?! Count them—that's 111 reviews in just **three freaking days**. I had the 104 reviews for chapter 38 over a period of four months. You guys are. Totally. AMAZING! I love you all! Snap, guys, you almost made me cry with all your support and compliments that I really don't deserve… I swear, Toushirou is a big inspiration for me, but you guys are an even bigger one! Thank you SO much for your reviews and messages! They all mean so much to me!

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. :) It was originally going to be an all-Toushirou POV chapter, but I decided to let Megumi take half of the glory. You got to see a glimpse of Toushirou's reaction; the rest of it will be revealed next chapter (thoughts and all). It was really tough trying to think of a way to have them meet again… A normal reunion would be boring, and I didn't want to make them really fight… so throw Megumi on a justified tantrum was the best bet! :) I hope you all liked it. I don't know why, but I haven't been feeling very confident in my chapters lately! Don't worry, it's got _nothing_ to do with either of you—your reviews and compliments and everything else is enough to make one hundred other authors feel crazily awesome—it's just, I don't know, something with me.

Like, for instance, I had to rewrite this chapter so many times in order to get it close to what I wanted it to be… and I still don't think it's the best. I did all I could think of—I wracked my brain for hours—but even after that, I'm still not satisfied. Anyway, I hope this weird feeling goes away soon… I wanna be able to know I gave one hundred percent to you guys, since you've done the same for me. :)

Seriously, you guys make me so happy. :)

Mucho grande love for:

**Phoenix and Fire, 13Lulu's, Dragon of Twilight, Kana09, HeadstrongNozomi, joster13, aminea88, triggerspec, sleeping cat, , hellogoodbyexx, RheaTheMeepoe, viettvnt, missy, HitsugayaDream, Naruto-Lover227, fanny-kun, I'm a Reader, jennyz, makoko, Leopardstar, Midnight Mel, Chidori Shiori, ShyandNotAfraid,The Rain Collector, Immortal Eden, GothicCinnamon, iv, frowninggivesyouwrinkles, flora236, darkheart1992, CarinaAiko, LadyChaos1011, BionicLemon, Claamchowder, erina destiny, CRdragonPyro, MaruiBuntaWorhsipper, raesigns, -lazy llama-, PassionsDesire, Ereana, My Ashland, jazzmin92, icedragon205, Satupilvi, , kanameXakari, Mai, Sky-chan, pinkatailmon, Naishou, Paralysistracks, SunsetRainbow, Oshima zakura, iWolf, CrieLaw13, -Not, sAppHiRa-hiMe, Riku727, Megumi Yunai, Afiercebeauty, rispah, Kayleigh-Duck, FrozenIceCream, hitsugayaXOX, NeferNeferi, hyourin-kusabana, Hikari6007, LadyAmazon, lill'goddess, Ikara-o-Kage, XCrissCrossX, Mari Ferolla, crystalstar83, Normal-Looking Freak, .Oblivious, FireWingedWolf, xxIcy, Kosa Kinoshita, avatar-chik, Hakano, Visualrocker, songo714, indigoia, Morbid Mello, Mournful Storms, Melodicxstar, Karupin.69, NamineNasha, steel-alchemist, Serena Lockhart, PrincessHK, XxFallingxxAngelxX, Nagase Kaede, Shanni-chan, kaito142, dokuki, Crimmy, miau-sama, XxSilentMoonAngelxX, tribute27, HitsugayaFanGirl, KurokamiHaruhi, Julie013, PennyArcadeFan2, Sportin' Purple Neck Pillows, Haimaru, Skye246, HANYAxtaiga, FailedWriter, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**Snap, that's a lot of bold! But I love it! I'm noticing that old reviewers have reviewed—thank you guys! :) I love you all—old and new and in between! HEARTS FOR ALL!**

I hope you all continue to support me. We're almost there!

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!

PS: This chapter is slightly longer! :) You guys deserve it—enjoy!


	50. The Decision

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the slower update… I don't know what kept me up this time. There's no excuse—I'M SORRY! D: I hope you enjoy the update nonetheless! I'll talk to you all after the chapter. :)

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F I F T Y :**  
_"The Decision"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Truth" by Arashi_

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

Sometimes I wondered if my body was attuned to Nagasuki's behavior. It was as if I subconsciously reacted whenever she's nearby.

I now knew why I wasn't sleeping well and why anxiety continued to plague me unannounced—especially for the last couple hours. The reason was standing right there, along with her Bounto friends—all of which were known in Seireitei as the three dangerous invaders. It wasn't a very favorable impression…

I could still see her face, which was almost as shocked as mine, when our swords clashed for the first time. The expressions she revealed throughout our "fight" (which was more or less an outlet for her to release her anger—and it may very well have saved me trouble later) replayed bit by bit in my mind, as did the words which she wrenched from inside her so sincerely as she flew at me in her fury.

I could still see her furious glare when she looked at me, still see the tears that trickled down her face—and now, as I stared at her as she faced the captain-commander in our meeting room, I wanted to see the one thing that would put the sick, empty feeling in my stomach to rest: that carefree, bright, and idiot smile.

Although I honestly didn't expect her to attack me, her reasons were justified. If I had been left for six months after being told that I had been lied to ever since we had met, I would be angry too. But I just couldn't tell her the reason; actually, Nagasuki Megumi isn't even supposed to _be_ here right now. Which is why I knew something big had to have happened if she were to don the Shinigami uniform and zanpakutou and break into Seireitei.

And speaking of Shinigami uniform and zanpakutou…

"Nagasuki Megumi, I never thought that you would end up like Kurosaki Ichigo," Yamamoto started, indicating the commencement of the meeting. The large double doors were shut behind us. We were more or less tired from the search; and Kuchiki and Soi Fon especially, after their fight. The Bounto must be strong to be able to keep them at bay. "But since you have endangered yourself to this extent to come here, I hope that you have a good reason. What brings you to Seireitei?"

Nagasuki stepped forward, her posture and expression calmly kept and resolute. I could imagine the storm brewing in her mind as she faced him; she never was the best under pressure. As she bore her shoulders, I was constantly reminded of how _unreal_ the scene before me was. She was standing right there, yet I couldn't convince myself that it was really her in the flesh, just a few feet away from my reach. What made it even more unreal was what she had done to herself! I guess I should have expected something outrageous like that from her, but I didn't think it would actually happen. Since when had she become a Shinigami?

_( It must have been just recently, Master; she is still a rookie when it comes to fighting. )_

Well, I knew that much. Nagasuki would be a rookie fighter no matter how long she was to train. Still, the sight of her in a soul reaper's uniform and wielding a soul slayer… It gave me an unsettling feeling. It was almost nauseating. The thought of Nagasuki on the battle field, fighting—it frightened me. And probably everyone else too…

Yet, ironically, despite the fear and confusion that definitely composed the expression on my face, I knew that I was undoubtedly happy. The selfish, unwanted emotion frustrated me. She shouldn't be here…

"Several weeks ago I was confronted by Romeo, one of the original Bounto under Yasuo," she started, racking her brain for the right words. "I discovered that he and Yasuo were behind a series of kidnappings in town which had been occurring since the summer season started. I found out that they were using the humans they stole to turn into Bounto. After the encounter, the kidnappings stopped. I don't know what happened. However, last week he struck again… But this time he took my uncle."

She paused, as if to steady herself. "He left me this note on my bed the night he disappeared, telling me that two weeks from that Friday, he would have a 'final battle' with the resisting Bounto and the Shinigami against his group of new Bounto. It took us a week to get here, so next Friday Yasuo is holding his battle in a forest. He wants me to show up with help from you and my friends… but if we lose, we don't know what'll happen to Takuya-oji."

My fists clenched beside me. The encounter, her Shinigami powers, the kidnappings—this was all new information to me. So Yasuo abducted her uncle to make sure she would show up at the battle. He was cowardly—but he was smart, as well. What did he plan to do? Obviously he wanted something to do with Nagasuki, but what could it be? Was his obsession still as strong as it was before?

"So you're asking us for you and your uncle's protection?" Yamamoto questioned.

Nagasuki shook her head. "I don't care about myself—but I can't risk my uncle's safety," she replied. She sounded like she was offended by the idea. "I'm asking you to save Takuya-oji… In case something should happen."

My eyes widened. "In case something should happen"? What did that mean? What was she thinking about…? I looked at the captain-commander, who was calmly surveying the trio before him. I honestly didn't know what he was going to say; ever since I came back to Soul Society and was given my sentence, he never gave the impression that he favored Nagasuki. He didn't say that he disliked her either, but he definitely didn't think much of her. Thinking back to our interrupted meeting just a couple hours or so ago, he sounded like he was going to go ahead and send captains into the human world to snuff out the remaining Bounto anyway; but with this valuable information—a ploy and a place for an official and preemptive battle—the plan was definitely going to change. But what was he going to decide?

"If I remember correctly, you are the reason that Daijiro Yasuo has taken such extreme measures as to endanger humans and challenge us," Yamamoto calmly replied.

Her gaze didn't waver. "Yes. I'll take responsibility for both Yasuo and Romeo by sending them to Soul Society and curing the humans he's tainted."

There was an immediate, harsh silence that filled the room as soon as the last words left her lips. What was she saying? That she was going to take on Yasuo and Romeo by herself? Was she insane? She was nowhere near strong enough, even with her powers… No, I wouldn't let her get directly involved like that.

"You, take on such a responsibility?" he replied. "Are you trying to humor us?"

"Actually," Minamoto Hikaru spoke for the first time. His tone was as simple as the shrug that rolled on his shoulders. "Megumi's really all we need to stop Yasuo."

"Then what do you need us for?" Soi Fon questioned skeptically. It seems she was getting tired of just standing there and listening. I couldn't blame her; I could think of a word or two to throw in. Whether the soutaichou accepted them kindly or not, however, was beyond my knowledge.

"Yasuo may set up dates, but he doesn't play fair," Riana replied. Soi Fon narrowed her eyes at her; that's right, Riana had been her opponent, and by the looks of it, they both excelled in the same skills. "We don't know what he might have planned, but he goes to drastic measures when he knows that he's losing."

"How do you plan on combating Daijiro as you are now, Nagasuki Megumi?" Yamamoto asked. "Surely you aren't planning on fighting him alone?" I winced at the thought. If that's what she's decided, I was going to stop her.

"I'm going to cure him and send both him and Romeo to Soul Society," she firmly responded. "Resound, Raiuta." She gently released her zanpakutou and a golden light emitted from her sheath to swirl around her hip, forming a materialized object. The words were like a different language when they reached me. She dropped her hand to her waist and untied a gourd that was now attached to her obi. Inside I could make out a few layers of liquid swirling. "I have the cure to the Bounto right here. Two drops of this liquid turns Bounto back into humans."

My eyes widened. The cure to the Bounto—right there in her hands? What was it? The gourd was the same color as her sword; could it be a part of her zanpakutou? I tried to organize my thoughts. My gaze was constantly switching from the gourd to its user.

Since when had Nagasuki become so… confident? There she was, in the presence of someone who could very effectively and quickly end her life in less than a blink; and she was boldly speaking to him with hardly a stutter. And if she wasn't confident, she was doing an admirable job in faking it.

How much had I missed since the last time we'd been together?

"What? _That _turns Bounto into humans?" Kurotsuchi asked, disbelief in his tone and demeanor. "That's ridiculous."

"We've tested it," Riana argued. "It works."

"If that be the case, why haven't you two reverted back to humans?" Yamamoto asked.

"We need to be Bounto in order to whoop Yasuo," Hikaru casually responded. "If we drink that now, we'll turn to dust since we were supposed to have died a long time ago."

"You want to be treated as our allies?" Soi Fon questioned.

"My sister Riana and I have come to ask for your help and cooperation," Hikaru said. He and his sister joined Nagasuki as they stepped forward. "We and one other Bounto are a resistance against Yasuo. Taking him down is our goal, as is yours, I'm sure."

"I know you may not trust us, but we want to help, as well," his sister added.

"And whether you consider us your allies or not, Riana and I are still fighting," Hikaru said. "We just don't want you guys to kill us thinking we were on his side."

"So, in other words," Shunsui Kyouraku spoke for the first time, a simplistic grin on his face. "Stay out of your way."

The male smirked. "Exactly."

"I can also provide medical help," Nagasuki piped in. "My gourd heals anyone else's injuries with one cup."

Kurotsuchi, despite the proven fact, was still skeptical over the power of her little gourd. "Just what is the liquid inside, anyway? And how does it enter the gourd? Surely it doesn't just refill every time you brandish your sword."

"It's…" she trailed off, uncertainty crossing her features. "It's kind of a long story…"

There was a small silence. Nagasuki sighed. "Um, it's my… blood," she quietly said. "My gourd absorbs my blood wounds and it's purified inside, turning it into medicine."

I almost gasped. Her… _blood_ was inside that thing? My eyes fell to the instrument. Even if there was just a little layer of liquid inside… That was Nagasuki's blood? How did she get wounded for it to fill so much? Has she been hurting herself?

"Easy now, Hitsugaya," Shunsui whispered from beside me. I sneaked a glance at him, confused. He grinned, almost in amusement. "I just had a little chill."

_( The room has gotten colder, Master. You will need to keep your temper in check. )_

I closed my eyes, frustrated.

"That's _very_ interesting," Kurotsuchi, who was on my other side, continued. "I've never seen anything like that before… Perhaps if the soutaichou bends, I can conduct some experiments…" He whispered the last part.

My eyes shot back open. Kurotsuchi Mayuri conducting experiments… on _Nagasuki_?

Shunsui snorted as he tried to suppress a chuckle, and he rubbed his arms. "Oh, the blizzard's coming…"

"Is there a problem, Shunsui-taichou?" Yamamoto called, snapping me back to attention.

I disregarded Kurotsuchi's comment for now; but if he tried to do _anything_ inappropriate… "No, sir, I'm just trying to get over a cold I developed a couple days ago. I find it amusing that it's still bothering me," Shunsui responded with a partly apologetic and partly amused grin.

He was unconvinced, but turned back to the trio. "This unexpected turn of events has turned out to be more or less very interesting…" he said, his voice contemplative. "You said that we had one week?"

"One week from today," Nagasuki nodded.

"I will consider your request. My answer will be given tomorrow." Yamamoto's expression didn't waver. "Until then, you three will stay in the empty rooms within Division 4. I'm sure you have enough rooms to spare, Unohana-taichou?"

She nodded. "We have plenty."

"Thank you so much, Yamamoto-san!" Nagasuki beamed, bowing gratefully to the man. I only got a glimpse of her profile, but there was a bit of that smile that I was itching to see—and it only made me even more frustrated at myself when I found out that I wanted her to be beaming that idiotic smile at me, specifically. Not that I deserved it.

… I'm an idiot.

"Don't thank me yet, Nagasuki Megumi," he said. "Everyone else is dismissed from this room; however, I would like to speak with you alone."

She was stunned. "Oh, uh, okay."

Yamamoto turned to the rest of us. "Dismissed!"

"Hikaru-san, Riana-san, I'll show you where you'll be staying," Unohana called to the Bounto. Hikaru glanced at her and looked back at Nagasuki. She quietly urged the both of them on, and he lightly touched her shoulder as he and his sister followed the captain out. As he passed me, his eyes flitted to catch my gaze for just a couple seconds before looking away once more.

I narrowed my eyes. My dislike for him hasn't settled one bit. And the feeling was mutual, I was sure.

I began to follow the rest of the captains outside, but not before casting one more look at Nagasuki. Her gaze was focused on the ground, and I couldn't make out the expression she carried at the moment.

She spared me no glance.

* * *

"Come on, taichou, I'm dying here! Tell me what happened—_please_? Give me every detail!"

My brow twitched. "Matsumoto, for the twenty-first time, _leave me alone_!"

She slammed her hands on my desk, and she stared at me as I looked up to glare at her. "You know this is important to me, taichou! Please?!"

"I can't tell you anything until Yamamoto-soutaichou decides what he's going to do," I replied through gritted teeth. I was already irritated as I was, and she knew that. Why did she continue to torment me? "They asked for our help and he's considering it. That's really all that's happened. Now go away!"

"And right now he's talking _in private_ to Megumi-chan?!" Matsumoto exclaimed. "Maybe if I hurry, I can hear what they're talking about!"

I grumbled to myself. "I hope he skins you alive," I murmured.

She crossed her arms and pouted. "Why are you so cranky, taichou? Aren't you happy that Megumi-chan's here? You're acting like you're devastated! And how could you fight her like that?"

My eyes lowered and I idly fiddled with papers on my desk. I was there in body, but my mind was everywhere else. "She's not supposed to be here, Matsumoto."

"But she _is_ here," she replied. "You didn't think she'd let a dimensional border separate her from you, did you?"

My retort was quick. "She's not here to see me," as Nagasuki herself so _kindly_ pointed out, "She's here to get help for her uncle."

"Seeing you, though, is like the icing _and_ cherry on top of the cake!"

"She could care less about me anymore," I snapped, almost a little too harshly. She knew I meant no harm. Matsumoto sighed softly, and I groaned and leaned forward on my desk, clutching at my hair. I closed my eyes, remembering the events that took place just hours ago. "She was _furious_."

"Taichou," she said. "I know that you know that you're wrong, but if you're so concerned about this, why don't you talk to her? You could even patch things up and maybe even…"

I shot her a look that immediately shut her up. "I don't think I can even carry a normal conversation with her after all that's happened…" I huffed, just barely above a whisper. It will all be over soon anyway. Even if the soutaichou passes her, it's only a matter of time until we had to part ways again. There was no point in repairing our relationship if that was the inevitable end.

Something inside me, though, stung at the idea of leaving her like that, without making amends for what was done.

"So you're just going to sit here like a bum while she's out there just buildings away from you, under the influence and charm of that Bounto boy?" Matsumoto crossed her arms, unconvinced.

I bore my jaw.

She meant good. I knew that and she knew that.

But did she have to bring _him_ up?

"Yeah, while you're thinking about that, I'm going to go greet Megumi-chan as soon as she gets out of that room," she continued as she marched towards the door. "She and I will be doing a lot of catching up, so if you want us, you can catch us wandering around!"

"Matsumoto!" I sneered. She was already gone. "Darn woman still has paperwork to do," I growled as I sunk back into my chair.

I sighed again and crumpled over my desk.

'_Talk to her… She makes it sound so simple. How am I supposed to talk to her now? I told her that our friendship was nothing but an act. I supposedly despise her now.'_

There was a low hum that I recognized as the consoling tune of my dragon. I closed my eyes.

'_What am I supposed to do?'_

* * *

**( NAGASUKI MEGUMI )**

It was hard standing still as the captains exited one by one, and it was even harder for me to keep my thoughts straight. I had been doing a surprisingly good job at faking confidence; I had never been a good speaker in front of people. Especially people who could dispose of me as quickly as you could say "go."

In things like this, it was much easier for me to be confident and brave when I had friends with me; but whenever I did something Shinigami-related, I never had to speak for myself. Toushirou would always be the one to intercede and speak on my behalf. It was weird standing here as an invader and criminal to Soul Society—it was unreal. But when I added Toushirou into the equation, it was almost unimaginable.

I had to try desperately hard and keep my focus cemented constantly to keep myself from letting my attention stray towards him. It was hard with him standing just feet away from my reach. I couldn't think about him, I couldn't look at him; I couldn't do anything that concerned him. My primary reason for being here right now wasn't to see him. It was to get help for my uncle. I couldn't screw this up… So I couldn't let myself think about him right now.

But I was still aware of his reiatsu.

As he made his way out, I could feel his eyes on me just briefly before he left. I couldn't… I wasn't going to let him get in trouble because of me again.

The doors closed as soon as the last Shinigami left, and finally it was just Yamamoto and me in this suddenly huge, dark room. I tried not to look nervous as I glanced up at him, but my eyes betrayed me.

Slowly—as if he was in slow motion—he walked towards me, watching me as I tried to keep my composure. "It's a bit stuffy in here, isn't it?" he said as he passed by me. "Let's talk in my office."

I watched him with wide, unblinking eyes. Suddenly I felt like a delinquent who was going to principal's office. For all I knew, Yamamoto did think of me as some sort of stupid rebel.

"Come on," he called with his back to me. I snapped back to attention and trotted after him.

He led me out of the creepy audience room, surprising me with our exit. There were random Shinigami who had tried to eavesdrop and were now scurrying about to try to justify their loitering. Their whispers echoed like gongs in my head; I tried to tune them out.

I attempted to take in the sights as we walked, but it was hard for me to concentrate when a dozen plus different eyes were staring at me. Subconsciously I stayed directly behind the captain-commander, although he was really the one I should be intimidated by.

Several minutes had passed before we reached what I assumed was his division office. It was a big place and expensive-looking—there was so much room! It was nearly five times the size of Kisuke's little room behind his store…

I stood in the entrance as Yamamoto continued on. This felt really awkward. "Tired already?" he called to me again, not bothering to look back. I looked around for another second or two, swallowed, and shut the door behind me before following after him.

Now we were in a smaller room that contained a single, low square table on the floor. He sat on the farthest side and I stood on the opposite side of him. "Um," I finally murmured. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

He stared at me for a moment. "Hmm," he mused. "Well, you're not ugly."

I blanched. Raiuta chortled. I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly didn't expect _that._ "P-P-Pardon?!"

"Sit."

I sat.

"I had a meeting in this room with Hitsugaya-taichou a while ago. He sat in that same spot," he went on. I was lost, and still mixed with emotions of either embarrassment or humiliation—or maybe both. "I asked him whether you were pretty or not. I just quoted what he said."

"Oh…"

I was suddenly very… warm.

_( Haha, what is this? And here I thought he was going to chew you out for something!_ )

Yamamoto seemed more or less amused by the expression on my face. "I wanted to see what he thought about you," he explained in that deep, monotone voice. "Granted, this was before emotions forced actions."

There was hint of suggestiveness in his tone, which caused me to burn hotter. What in world was he trying to get at? I thought he wanted to talk to me? I thought for sure we would be all business-like… But now he just occurred to me as someone like a grandfather, with his reminiscing and talking as if I understood and followed exactly what he was talking about. I would have giggled at the thought if I weren't so scatter-brained.

"It's not that I dislike you, Nagasuki," he said. "Of course, you were the one that nearly cost Hitsugaya-taichou his position as a captain, but that's not to say that I hold anything otherwise against you personally."

I blinked. What was he trying to say now? Toushirou almost lost his position as a captain…?

"However," he continued thoughtfully, "I don't know what he saw in you that could cause him to risk so much."

I lowered my gaze slightly. "I… agree with you there."

"Hitsugaya-taichou is one of my most responsible and trustworthy captains. When I gave him the responsibility of finding information about the Bounto, I never doubted that he would follow the rules to the slashes. He's a prodigy and a genius for someone so young, but I forgot that he's also an adolescent. In my old age, I suppose it was alien for me to think of it, but Hitsugaya Toushirou is probably the most likely to find someone special the soonest; but I didn't think it would come in the form of a human."

I spoke before I could stop myself. "It's my fault," I said. "He was doing his job. He warned me, but I didn't listen…"

"He was in fault as much as you were—maybe even more so. For some reason though, he couldn't say no to you… And I wonder why." He lifted a hand to stroke his long white beard. "Would I be correct in assuming you still have feelings for him?"

I looked down. "Yes."

"I take relationships between Shinigami seriously. I almost never allow them," Yamamoto said. "However, when it comes to humans and Shinigami, it's strictly forbidden."

I didn't respond.

"Do you know why I enforce this so strongly?" he asked. I timidly looked back up at him. "Priorities become blurred and distractions could cause both lives to fall in jeopardy. Emotions as strong as these are a Shinigami's greatest weakness.

"Hitsugaya-taichou and you, Nagasuki, were to become in grave danger if the relationship were to continue building. He maturely received the responsibility of this rule at the sacrifice of his relationship with you and indefinite probation here in Seireitei. To further this decision, no Shinigami were permitted to have contact with you."

I inhaled very slowly. All that just because of me…?

So Toushirou's punishment was either getting rid of me or losing his position as a captain… perhaps both. He was right in choosing to remain a captain. I never would have forgiven myself if he didn't. Still, hearing it from the originator of this rule kind of stung. "Why are you telling me this?"

He neatly folded his large, bony hands on the table. During the entire one-sided conversation, his eyes still never left me. "The Bounto were our problem before it became yours—even if they encountered you first. We will be the ones to end the problem. Seeing that you are directly involved in this wasn't something I was expecting; and because you've received the power to become one of us now—a product of Ritsuko Metsuki, I assume,"—he paused to take in my outfit—"I normally wouldn't have objections to your fighting as long as you stayed out of our way. However, with your standing with Hitsugaya-taichou…"

I blinked. Ritsuko Metsuki… Was that Metsuki's name before she was adopted into our family? It's the first time I've heard it. I was glad that I didn't have to explain the whole how-I-became-a-Shinigami process to him.

"I don't have a 'standing' with him anymore, Yamamoto-san," I replied softly. "He told me the day he left that all ties were cut. Our relationship… was one-sided after all." I pushed back the unwanted memory.

He lifted a brow. "And you believed him?" When I simply stared at him in confusion, his expression was amused. "Interesting… No matter. I wish to get involved in this situation concerning Daijiro Yasuo. Hitsugaya-taichou is on the top of the list of Shinigami I want to assign, since he is the most experienced; however, I don't want you to get in his way. He could barely hold his own against Daijiro, much less protect himself _and_ you against more than one Bounto."

"My zanpakutou is a strictly defensive weapon," I said, a little more strongly. "I can take care of myself."

We exchanged stares for what seemed to be an eternity, but neither of us backed down. Finally he said, "Would you be willing to prove that?"

All of a sudden, I felt very wary. "Yes."

"Very well then, Nagasuki Megumi." His voice was powerful, final. "I will try your resolve tomorrow in test. If you pass the test, I will give you the help you need as well as an answer to your Bounto friends' request."

I remained firm. "And if I don't pass?"

"You will sit out of the battle."

I narrowed my eyes. I would not sit out of another battle while people were fighting a fight I should be involved in. "My friends—will they be tested as well?"

"Only yours. You will be representing your resolve, as well as their trustworthiness, in your test."

I almost gulped. That was a big weight to carry on my shoulders.

… But I'll take it.

"I accept."

"Good," Yamamoto nodded. "I also want to see what it is Hitsugaya-taichou was protecting: a weak, foolish human—or a strong, determined girl?"

I stood and bowed, grateful for the chance he's giving me. This was it—a way to prove myself. "Thank you, Yamamoto-san."

"Dismissed."

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Laugh Away" by YUI_

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**A/N:** Guys… that concludes chapter 50! (throws confetti) Oh my goodness, we're already at 50 chapters now! :) Haha, it's funny—25 chapters ago, Hitsugaya was sitting in the same place as Megumi when she was talking to Yamamoto. :D Oh the irony! I really didn't plan it out that way… It just happened. It was very amusing.

I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It was hard for me to write because I'm trying to describe Toushirou's feelings without making him sound OOC. I think I failed in some parts… but it's a lot harder than it looks, especially in first person! Nonetheless, I hope you liked it. Because of the longer time it took for me to update, I made the chapter a little longer!

But what will Toushirou do? What will Yamamoto's test to Megumi be? All will be discovered soon!

And oh my goodness, you guys are amazing! Still over 100 reviews just for that chapter! I love you all! It's so encouraging to see how faithful you all are… And now I will take this space to thank all of you. :)

**LadyChaos1011, HitmanMiharu, -lazy llama-, viettvnt, HeadstrongNozomi, KurokamiHaruhi, Naruto-Lover227, Dragon of Twilight, aminea88, Normal-looking Freak, hitsugayaXOX, RheaTheMeepoe, iv, indigoia, avatar-chik, Sakiru Yume, steel-alchemist, CarinaAiko, darkheart1992, dokuki, Claamchowder, pinkatailmon, ShyandNotAfraid, joster13, sAppHiRa-hiMe, Uchiha Sasha, PassionsDesire, PandaBelz, raesigns, Kana090, jazzmin92, Paralysistracks, Kukino3, Death-God-777, Ikara-o-Kage, Julie013, Banalaya, Visualrocker, GothicCinnamon, Sky-chan, MaruiBuntaWorshipper, ai-bleach, CrieLaw13, Shanni-chan, Seeking-Truth-Darkness, kanameXakari, CRdragonPyro, Hikaru6007, Elli-Happy-Not, Satupilvi, Koi No Mega Lover, kaito142, xXxAiriinxXx, erina destiny, SunsetRainbow, Leopardstar, Mai, BionicLemon, , Morbid Mello, 13Lulu's, HitsugayaFanGirl, FailedWriter, FrozenIceCream, lill'goddess, hellogoodbyexx, Oshima zakura, XxSilentMoonAngelxX, HitsugayaDream, tribute27, .Oblivious, Mari Ferolla, FireWingedWolf, rispah, TheKingJingles, DustyDoll, songo714, crystalstar83, Mournful Storms, Zanyx, miau-sama, My Ashland, Onepiecewonder, Afiercebeauty, frowninggivesyouwrinkles, youxcan'txstop, Raine20oo, Phoenix and Fire, makoko, Kosa Kinoshita, NamineNasha, Naishou, Midnight Mel, hyourin-kusabana, aoitsuki77, triggerspec, Immortal Eden, D R A G O N L I L I E S, AngelDeLumiere, CrazyBandGeek, fanny-kun, NeferNeferi, haku fan1, shiro-kun wiifey16, PennyArcadeFan2, Mudheart, icedragon205, Aqua4, bleachlover, Kuro-Neko Keiko-Hime, HookedOnAvatar011, I'm a Reader, Lee Isidor, Chryseilas, Arin-chan, and Countess Glow, THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**Man, this is so much compared to how many I received for my first few chapters of this story! :)**

You guys are amazingly awesome and fantastic!

Oh—and happy late Independence Day! ;)

Stay tuned for the next update, and don't forget to review, review, review!

OH YEAH! **Enjoy the new theme songs**! These will be the last until the end of the story! They're awesome!

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!


	51. Resolve

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Nothing to say here but: chapter's up! :)

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F I F T Y – O N E :**  
_"Resolve"_

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_Opening Theme__: "Truth" by Arashi_

* * *

I barely slept that night; and to be honest, I didn't really try to.

Well, for one thing, the extra hospital rooms in Division 4 weren't very homey. Hikaru, Riana and I were all in different rooms along the hallway, all of them looking identical. It was bigger than I expected it to be—it was a whole lot bigger than _my_ room, anyway—but it wasn't very welcoming. It was cold, alien, and kind of intimidating. I guess it was foolish of me to expect anything more than the plain white walls, the plain white tile, and the single bed that sat in the center (it _is_ a hospital, after all), but I still didn't like it. I felt like I was in a prison.

Unohana Retsu, the division captain, was nice enough though. She had a very warm and motherly air about her, and it was easy for me to feel comfortable around her; but it was still weird being around familiar Shinigami company again. I haven't had any sort of contact with one for six months, and suddenly here on their very own turf.

After the meeting with Yamamoto yesterday, I was promptly greeted by an excited Rangiku—which was very flattering on my part. I missed her the most, next to Toushirou, and I was glad to be able to talk to my (practically) sister again. As much as I wanted to catch up on everything that's happened so far, I couldn't offer much conversation; naturally, I was busy rejuvenating myself after my stressful chat with the captain-commander—which didn't go so bad as I thought it might have. At least he confirmed that he didn't hate me yet. I wonder what he's going to make me do. Ask me challenging questions? Throw me into an obstacle course? I didn't know what to expect. I think that was what made me nervous the most. Hikaru and Riana were super worried when I told them about it. I was, too, but I told them not to worry about it; it was either do that or live with the knowledge that I couldn't fight to save my own uncle.

Rangiku, on the other hand, had a lot more to say than I did—and it wasn't even about anything extraordinary. Mostly she was complaining about how boring things have become since she and Toushirou returned to Soul Society, what with the amount of work they both had to do. I didn't believe that part—it was hard for me to imagine Rangiku doing any sort of work… Sad, isn't it?

"Taichou has been keeping himself extra busy though," she told me as we were wandering around. "As soon as we got back into Seireitei, he locked himself in his office and got started on that paperwork. That guy is such a workaholic!"

Toushirou, a workaholic—it sure suited him just fine. Which reminded me that I needed to apologize to him for swinging at him like that yesterday… Yeah, I felt really bad about that afterwards. Raiuta had absolutely no problems with the thought of throttling him, but I still couldn't stomach the fact that I had technically… _fought_ him. The remembrance of it made me shiver.

I stayed up all night thinking about everything—about Takuya-oji, the Bounto, Riana and Hikaru, Yamamoto, my test, Toushirou. It was exhausting after a while, but I still couldn't sleep, and I ended up staring at the white ceiling until the sunlight started spilling in through the window.

It wasn't long after that that I heard a little bustling out on the streets; Shinigami rising up early to do whatever it is they wanted to do. I admired their willingness to rise at such a horrifying hour. It wasn't long after activity began to stir outside did the thought cross my mind:

I wonder if Toushirou was up.

What did he think when he saw me that first time? I couldn't read his expression very well. Was it a good reaction? Was he happy to see me? Annoyed?

I sighed. Today I was going to apologize to him. Provided I was going to pass this initiation of sorts today, I needed us to be on okay terms before fighting with each other. We at least had to be acquaintances… and he couldn't be pretending this time.

Eventually I realized that laying down wasn't improving my somewhat gloomy mood, so I got up and walked over to the window that faced my left side when I was on the bed. I was greeted with wonderful weather after I opened the window. Whenever I got up this early, I always counted on the beautiful morning scenery to quell my sour mood. Soul Society… I was really in the place where spirits live. I'm probably the only actual living human in this place right now. It was a kind of… humbling thought.

But when I compared what I saw here to Karakura, there really wasn't much a difference besides the overflow of reiatsu in the air. Maybe that's why I was taking this whole "I'm in a different world" thing so easily. It was easy to adapt here because everything looked the same.

I don't know how much time had passed since I had gotten out of bed, but eventually the activity drastically increased and my reverie was interrupted by a timid knock on the door.

"Megumi-san?"

I turned to see Hanatarou's head peeking in through the door crack. "Morning, Hana."

He smiled and pushed the door open with his shoulder, revealing a tray of breakfast. "I-I got some food for you and your friends. You must be hungry," he timidly said. "I didn't know what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything. Hikaru-san and Riana-san seemed to like it though…"

I blinked. Wow, that was thoughtful of him. I took the tray with a grateful smile; the smell of the food made my stomach twist in anticipation. He really did get a little bit of everything; there was steamed rice, grilled fish, a rolled omelet, nattou, and various choices of fruit. He brought me a feast! "Thanks, Hana-chan!" I blinked. Hana-chan?

_( Hana-chan? Haha, it has a cute ring to it… It suits him. )_

I rarely used honorifics when addressing someone, but for some reason it slipped. I don't know why; it's never been a habit for me. Weird… It rolled right off my tongue though. It kind of fit him—the cute, shy, and harmless type of nickname. I sneaked a glance at him right after I said it. He didn't seem to mind… either that or he didn't catch it. Hmm, maybe I'll keep calling him that.

"You want to stay here with me for a little bit?" I asked as I plopped onto the bed. I lay the tray on my lap and patted next to me. "I probably won't be able to finish all this anyway." I guess I should be with Hikaru and Riana right now, but I'd be with them on the way to my little test. Besides, Hanatarou didn't look like he was busy… In fact, he looked kind of lost. Like always.

He looked a bit unsure, but he obliged. "Have you eaten yet?" I asked. When he shook his head, I offered him the grilled fish. "Here, eat this. I'm not a huge fan of fish," I said with a smile.

"Thank you," he said as he took the plate. He watched me start on the steamed rice. "Did you sleep well?"

I swallowed. "Um… Not really. I was thinking about everything… It wouldn't let me sleep," I admitted sheepishly.

"You didn't sleep?!"

"Nope."

"Not at all?!"

"Not one wink."

"That's not healthy… You need to rest, Megumi-san! Your body needs to rejuvenate!" he said with a sort of zeal. His small blue eyes widened as he expressed himself. He's so cute! When he saw my amused grin he immediately simmered. "I'm… serious!"

"I know, I know. Sorry," I said with a giggle. "You're in Division 4, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"I was told by my trainer that if I were to become an official Shinigami, I would be in Division 4 too." I smiled at the remembrance of Yoruichi. It felt like a long time since I've seen her now.

"Really?" Hanatarou asked, surprised.

"Yup. My zanpakutou, Raiuta, is a defensive weapon… and she heals people. Absolutely useless for fighting."

"Raiuta," he mimicked. A small smile crept onto his gentle features. "That's a nice name."

_( Aww, he's SO CUTE! Can I take him home? )_

"Yamamoto-san was talking to me yesterday after the meeting," I continued, staring at my now empty bowl of rice. I opened up the nattou pack and started stirring the soybeans. "He said he was going to give me a test today… To see if he would let me fight." I explained the whole story to him after I saw his confused expression. The only other person I told this story to was Rangiku. I don't know why, but he was really easy to talk to.

"Wow," he breathed after my long story. "You must be nervous."

"_Really_ nervous," I nodded. "I don't really know what to expect."

"You can do it, Megumi-san," he beamed, the zeal returning to his voice. "You made it all the way here so far, right?"

"Yeah, maybe." I sighed. "Thanks, Hana-chan."

From there on, we talked about the most random things; from my life back home to his daily duties and the feel of being a Shinigami. Hanatarou was the one to accidentally let the news about Hitsugaya and me spill, but I didn't think badly of him at all. As I talked to him more, I realized it. He was just a clumsy, sweet, and caring person who always meant well. He was extremely ditzy as well and it probably got him into a bind sometimes, but it was an attribute that I adored.

There was another knock on the door. Hikaru and Riana came in. "Hey champ," Hikaru greeted me with a wave. "What time is your exam?"

I blinked at him. "What time is it now?"

He looked at Riana and back at me, shrugging.

"It's about noon, I think…" Hanatarou said after looking out the window. Did he just tell time by the sun's position?

"He never did tell me a time to meet…" I realized with wide eyes. Oh, shoot! What if I missed my test already?! I hope he allowed redoes…

Right then, a small black butterfly fluttered into the window. I stared at it for a second, as did we all, as it started flying around our little group that had recently gathered. "What's this?" I asked, although the answer was obviously a butterfly. I don't think I've ever seen a black one though…

"_Nagasuki Megumi, Yamamoto-soutaichou requires your presence in the area before Soukyoku Hill. You are to be there within fifteen minutes."_

I blinked.

That's the first one I've ever seen that's talked, too.

"Holy crap! That thing just… _talked_!" Hikaru exclaimed, pointing at the little insect.

"Wow," Riana murmured.

Hanatarou grinned nervously. Or maybe he always looked nervous no matter what he was doing… "That's a hell butterfly. The Shinigami use them to deliver messages throughout Seireitei," he explained. "That's also the thing that made the announcement about you three yesterday."

"That's… new," I blinked again.

"So it was that _bug_ that got us caught," Hikaru growled. The hell butterfly continued to flutter around, repeating the message one more time before leaving the way it came. "I should've squashed it…"

The funny thing was that I wasn't freaked out. I guess almost a year of having to deal with this kind of stuff makes you immune to some things… "So I have fifteen minutes to get to… where?" Nonetheless, it was a talking bug, so I was too engrossed in that fact to think about what it was saying. "The area before… Whatever Hill?"

"Soukyoku Hill," Hanatarou corrected me. "It's the little empty area that you three were heading towards yesterday."

"Oh… Okay." I was lucky to have a resident here. "Thanks!"

"We should get going then," Riana said. "It's better to be a little early than late."

I nodded. I was already feeling the anxiety. Hanatarou took my tray, the contents of which were now digesting in my stomach. It was a good idea to eat before-hand. "I'll take this back," he said as he headed towards the door. "Can I come watch you afterwards?"

I grinned. "Of course! See you there, Hana-chan."

He smiled shyly. "Good luck, Megumi… chan."

"Hana-chan?" Hikaru asked as soon as he disappeared. "I thought he was a boy."

"He _is_ a boy," I huffed, standing up. "It's called a nickname. I thought it suited him."

"And he's already calling you 'Megumi-chan'… Do I have another rival?" Hikaru mused more to himself as he stared at the door.

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, let's go before I'm late."

Riana touched my shoulder lightly. "Are you ready?"

I paused for a moment, thought about it, and then sighed.

"I guess we'll find out."

* * *

It was a lovely day out. The perfect weather to have a picnic in, or go on a date, or hang out with friends.

Doing something that tested whether I was efficient enough in the line of fire while saving my abducted uncle wasn't exactly what I'd normally be doing. But then again, nothing was done "normally" nowadays.

When we got to the place of the test, I was five minutes early. I could immediately pinpoint Yamamoto thanks to his reiatsu; and judging by the other bodies scattered around the area, I was going to have an audience. The feeling of dread magnified. Oh, great—as if I wasn't already freaked out about this. Now people were going to be watching me.

Hikaru, noticing the sudden tension in my posture, nudged me with his elbow. "You'll be fine," he whispered. "It's not like he's going to kill you."

You never know, I wanted to say. Instead I smiled at him and thanked him as he and Riana walked to the sidelines.

_( It can't be that bad, Gumi-chan… I mean, the most he could do is put you in a survival match against six captains. )_

I gulped.

There weren't a _lot_ of Shinigami here, but there were enough to make a measly human girl break a sweat. Numerous pairs of curious eyes watched me as I stepped into the arena, or where I thought the arena was. There was a large rectangle marked with boundaries in the center of the growing crowd, and Yamamoto and his captains were waiting on the far side. I can't be psyched out now. I didn't come here for nothing. I couldn't be afraid—and even if I was, I definitely couldn't let _them_ notice.

So I faked it. Faking helped me become calmer anyway. Think about the good that awaited me after passing this test: help from the Shinigami, approval from Yamamoto, allies for Hikaru and Riana… And a little amazement from Toushirou wouldn't be so bad, either. Suddenly I blanched.

Oh, stars.

Toushirou was watching too.

The nausea returned.

"Right on time," Yamamoto greeted me, his deep tone easily booming over the crowd of murmurs. The crowd immediately hushed and I stood near the center of the rink, hands hovering by my side.

'_Fake confidence, fake confidence—if they see anything, don't let it be anxiety.'_ I kept my eyes and attention on the captain-commander, but my peripheral view took in the entities that stood on either sides of him. Two heads of white hair, one weird contortion of a head, and a… straw hat? They were among one of the first I've noticed.

"We won't waste time with introductions. Your task is simple, Nagasuki Megumi."

Somehow I think his definition of "simple" was eons different from mine. _'Fake confidence, fake confidence.' _Raiuta was quiet as well, apparently as nervous as I was. Her own pride was at stake.

I swallowed the feeling in my stomach—it felt like there were monkeys doing the rain dance around my intestines—and squared my shoulders.

"Soi Fon-taichou, step forward."

Taichou? I was being tested against a captain?!

The said taichou flash-stepped from her place beside the commander to stand a few yards away from me. I recognized her; she was the one who was fighting against Riana, and judging by how fast they were both going and how evenly matched they were, she was good—_really _good. The name jogged my memory though. Soi Fon—wasn't she the one who succeeded Yoruichi in Division 2? My eyes widened.

Soi Fon was the prodigious student of Shihouin Yoruichi, the Goddess of Flash.

Oh dear.

"You will need to hold your own against Soi Fon-taichou for a total of fifteen minutes," Yamamoto continued. "And when I say 'hold your own,' I mean that you will need to refrain from being killed before the allotted time."

I stared at him as if he had grown three new heads. "Refrain from being killed"? Does that mean Soi Fon would be trying to kill me?! Wait a second—isn't it against some Shinigami law to kill a human?

"In essence, humans are forbidden from gaining Shinigami powers, and those who happen to acquire them are promptly executed for the safety of themselves and those around them," Yamamoto explained. Apparently he noticed my expression. "Kurosaki Ichigo is the first, and I hope only, exception. His extremely high reiatsu and power is far more valuable than it is a waste; and to be frank, he wouldn't allow himself to be killed by any of us even if we tried. However, I have yet to see if you contain the same power—and if it's any worth keeping you alive."

I paled even more. So was that almost-nice guy act he pulled yesterday an act? He was trying to appear all calm and semi-accepting so he could lure me into taking this test? He knew that I was no match for a captain; Toushirou easily held his own against me yesterday.

This was my execution.

"This is nothing against you personally, Nagasuki Megumi." He was so kept it was almost frustrating. He sounded like I had already failed. "Soi Fon-taichou is one of my most efficient captains, and surviving against her in a one-on-one battle is quite the feat; which is why I chose her to participate in your test. Fighting her is easily equivalent to fighting ten men. If you still live after fifteen minutes against her, I will allow you to keep your powers and fight in the battle. Your Bounto friends over there will be able to fight with us. If not… You and Minamoto Riana and Hikaru will die."

"But—Takuya-oji!" I blurted. "If I'm not there, Yasuo will—"

"We are well capable of ensuring your uncle's safety."

"What about the other Bounto? The victims?! What about them?" I retorted. He needed my medicine to heal them…

"If you want to save them—as well as your friends," Yamamoto said, his tone resolute. "Then that's all the more motivation to survive, isn't it?"

My breath was low and shallow. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Don't worry about us, Megumi!"

I turned, shocked. Hikaru caught my attention from the side. "This is nothing! Show them what you can do!" he shouted, giving me a thumbs-up.

"You can do it, Megumi-chan!" Riana said from beside him. Hanatarou was with them already as well, and he gave me an encouraging grin.

Despite how hopeless I felt, I smiled. I turned back to face my opponent, who looked like she was sizing me down quickly. If she saw how I "fought" yesterday, it wouldn't take her too long to realize that I wasn't very impressive. I saw a little movement in my peripheral view. The guy in the straw hat who wore a pink kimono draped over his captain's robe just put a hand on the shoulder of… Toushirou, and was apparently holding him back.

The scene surprised me. It was the first time I've looked at Toushirou since yesterday, and today he looked abnormally pale. A look of panic was smeared across his face as the other captain whispered words to him—words that looked like they were settling him down. Toushirou simply glared like he always did and stared ahead, his fists clenched in tight balls.

I know how you feel, I wanted to say. I think it's pretty hopeless, too.

"Begin."

Soi Fon disappeared, and it took me just half a second to realize that word meant that the clock started ticking. I could feel her reiatsu disappearing and reappearing, and I immediately crossed my arms over my face to graciously receive a block from a foot that would have smashed my nose in otherwise.

She kicked off my arms and I jumped back, ignoring the faint sore in my forearms. She wasted no time. "Resound, Raiuta!" I called as I quickly brandished her. Soi Fon flew at me again from the side with lightning speed and I leaped out of the way just in time to see her fist fly into where I had been; and she disappeared again. I would have to really rely on my feel for reiatsu to be able to keep up with her.

"Let's see how tough you are."

Her words grazed my ear. I turned to block her, but I was too slow. I registered sharp pain in my cheek and whiplash as I flew across the arena at least ten feet before I flipped and skidded to a stop. I exercised my jaw to make sure it was still in place; the blood that seeped from the cut in my cheek trickled down my chin. My gourd took care of that quickly.

Cold—why was I so cold all of a sudden?

_( Gumi-chan! Are you okay?! )_

'_Yeah. She's really fast…'_

_( Super fast! )_

I definitely had to trust in my eyes and reiatsu senses to be able to pass this test… or rather, stay alive. But it was hard when there were at least a hundred more—and counting—bodies of reiatsu lingering around the area. That was probably why this wasn't a private test; Yamamoto wanted to throw me off. I was still a rookie Shinigami and fighter, after all. Fighting isn't in my nature.

Soi Fon stood where I had been standing before she introduced me forcefully to her heel, the expression on her face nonchalant. I narrowed my eyes. She was testing me. "Aren't you going to come at me?" she asked. She looked bored.

"I didn't hear anything about having to fight," I replied tersely. I couldn't fight her on my own, that much was obvious. I just needed to hold my own against her and I would pass. Just keep the clock ticking…

The woman scoffed before she disappeared again. I concentrated and followed in suit.

It didn't take me long to grow accustomed to dodging Soi Fon's attacks. She was incredibly nimble and agile, along with very hard to keep up with; within two minutes she already made me break my limit in flash-stepping. I received a few scratches and bruises here and there—and I think something was wrong with my left wrist—but other than that, it wasn't too bad. Maybe I'd get out of this in one piece after all.

"Five minutes, Megumi!" Hikaru's voice rang out over the silence. "Ten more!"

Ten more minutes—yes, maybe I was really sweating over nothing!

Soi Fon leaped back, grabbed her haori, and tossed it. I watched her blankly. "I can't say I was expecting anything great," she said coldly. "But this is just pathetic."

Immediately my little spark of hope faded again. It was like what she was really saying was: I'm done playing with you.

It was only thanks to Yoruichi that I was able to do what I was doing now and not get too many sores. Soi Fon was definitely holding back on me as she flew at me at a much faster speed, now throwing a mixture of fists and feet at me. I was used to this already; Yoruichi's exercises were very similar. That's it! Soi Fon's fighting technique was like Yoruichi's, which makes fighting her a lot easier.

But like Yoruichi, Soi Fon was full of surprises.

"All it takes is one slip," Soi Fon whispered to me. "How's that wrist?" My eyes widened. I was hoping she wouldn't notice. "I'm surprised it isn't broken yet." And with that, she painfully tapped the said wrist with a sharp puncture of her fingers, throwing me off. The next several things I suffered were an assortment of punches and kicks to my torso, and a finishing drop kick that sent me rolling across the ground in a lump of hurt.

My gourd absorbed the blood that had been spilled, but every sore that wasn't bleeding remained—and that was a lot of sores. My breathing was shallow and everything hurt—especially my stomach and my now broken wrist.

'_Crud—even if I survive, it'll take at least a couple weeks before I can use it normally again!'_

I quickly tightened the bandages that were already around my wrist to make a make-shift cast. I had to be careful not to use it—and not to let Soi Fon dismember it from me.

Ten minutes—just ten more minutes and I can help Takuya-oji. Ten more minutes and I can fight with Riana and Hikaru…

I wasn't used being in so much my bodily pain. Sores from running and training were one thing, but injuries were a whole different universe. I could barely move, and the freezing temperature definitely wasn't helping. Geez, why was it so stinking cold?! It was nice and warm this morning!

"Your gourd only heals your blood wounds," Soi Fon commented as I struggled to quivering legs. "It's a good thing I specialize in internal blows then."

"Seven more minutes!" Hikaru shouted.

_( Gumi-chan—the gourd! Will it heal your wounds? )_

Soi Fon promptly came at me again. I had to put distance between us. I was in no shape, injured or not, to be fighting in close combat. Twisting my good wrist around, I used it as a shield to block punches and kicks alike, hoping to make contact; and when it did, I ricocheted back.

I narrowed my eyes. _'I'm not sure.'_

_( Why don't you try it out? )_

'_I've never tested it before; what if it has a bad effect on me? It _is_ my blood, after all.'_ Not to mention that there was something really gross about drinking your own… _blood_…

_( But at this rate… )_

"You know," I said as Soi Fon attacked again, "I've fought someone like you many times. That's why it's much easier for me to keep enduring against you like this." Maybe talking would distract her—slow her down.

"Someone like me?" she repeated. Nope, she kept going at it as fast as ever.

"Yep," I grinned, letting the fond memory linger.

"Well, I doubt that 'someone' has a zanpakutou like mine," Soi Fon responded with a dangerous edge in her voice.

Her zanpakutou? That's right—she hasn't even used it yet. Just like Yoruichi…

"You're better at running away than I thought," she said as she bounced off my sword. "I didn't think I'd have to use Suzumebachi."

Suzumebachi? It sounded as deadly as she is.

I held my sword with one hand, keeping my ground.

"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi," Soi Fon called. Her reiatsu doubled and a swirling light flew from her sword and gathered around the middle finger of her right hand; when it faded, there was some sort of golden armor around it, shaped like the stinger of a bee…

A very dangerous bee.

"Suzumebachi has the ability to kill in two strikes alone," Soi Fon said, holding up her right hand for emphasis. My eyes widened. She was kidding, right? "Let's see if you can run away from my sting."

"Five minutes!" Hikaru announced.

"Don't let that thing hit you in the same place twice, Megumi-chan!" Riana said soon after.

My expression dropped. Apparently she wasn't kidding. Soi Fon's reiatsu was way up now; she was easy to pick out among the remaining bodies here. But that didn't make her much easier to dodge, especially with that little thing on her finger. Killing in two strikes—that's _so_ cheating!

As she came to attack me again in her lightning speed, she mainly used her armored finger to thrust. I didn't know what to expect from her this time; it was still similar to Yoruichi's fighting style, but I was doubly distracted. That thing could kill me if I let it touch me twice—so I had to make sure I didn't make any more slip-ups.

"You're slow," she hissed. She threw off the momentum of my movements with a spontaneous swing of her left hand, found an opening, and took it.

I gasped as I flash-stepped just after I felt a small sting on my chest. A dark light swirled, taking the form of a black butterfly that was now tattooed onto me. "What…?" I murmured.

"Not a good idea to take your eyes off me."

I flash-stepped again, not really caring where I went as long as it was away from her. One more hit in the same place and I was dead. How much longer did I have?

"Three minutes!" Hikaru and Riana shouted.

These were going to be the longest three minutes of my life.

The key to surviving this was to always be alert. I couldn't take my eyes off her for one second or I was a goner; that much I was certain. My legs felt like jell-o beneath me. Yoruichi would be so pleased with me when I tell her I could do about seventy flash-steps without collapsing—that is, if I lived to gloat. With the excess movement my wrist was swelling painfully and the bruises along my torso felt like they were bubbling. It wasn't a very nice feeling.

Soi Fon had already seen through my actions with Raiuta; now that she expected the ricochet of my blade and used the momentum to fly at me even faster. Another flaw that I had to cover up with my sword… Ugh, I definitely wasn't meant for front-line fighting.

"One more minute," Soi Fon whispered. "Feeling anxious yet?"

I tried to make a face, but I was too concentrated. Soi Fon, I was feeling nauseated before we even _started _this thing. The only thing keeping me from tripping up was my resolve—my motivation to do my part in saving the only family I had left and my two best friends. If I died here, Takuya-oji's life was in even more danger; Hikaru and Riana would be killed; and those humans who had been kidnapped by Yasuo would die as well. I couldn't let that happen—I wouldn't let their blood be smothering my hands.

It was for that which awaited me in the end that I could do this.

"Sorry, but I can't die here," I said, swinging my sword. My trusty shockwave tossed Soi Fon back.

"Thirty seconds!" Hikaru yelled. The rest of the Shinigami started hooting and hollering.

I almost wanted to tell them to shut up. They were throwing off my focus. Thirty seconds was still a very long time…

_( Come on, Gumi-chan! We can do it! )_

I couldn't tell if Soi Fon was getting frustrated with me or not. The scowl on her face deepened as she quickened her movements, trying to mask her reiatsu with her amazing speed. Yoruichi did the same thing; I was totally used to it. I had to thank her when I got back—if it weren't for the training she gave me, I would've been dead long ago.

"Who was your teacher?" Soi Fon abruptly asked.

I smiled. "Yoruichi-sensei," I winked.

Her eyes widened momentarily. "I see. You must be used to the high-speed attacks then," she said. I narrowed my eyes; what was she hiding?

"I wonder if she ever used shunko on you," she said. My eyes widened at the familiar term. "Shunko!"

It all happened very fast. Portions of her clothes glowed and exploded, leaving her shimmering—it was almost angelic. It blinded me for a moment, and she used that to her advantage as she knocked me down. The back of my head crashed against the floor and a red flash filled my eyes. She had gotten much stronger—kidou and hand-to-hand combat mixed together… Maybe I should take up lessons. If I live.

The audience was counting down now. "Five, four…" they chanted.

Soi Fon was flying at me, her right hand reared back. It was almost slow motion. "Well, I can't let a pupil of Yoruichi-sama—especially a pathetic human girl—to stand against me."

My eyes widened. I was unable to move. She was going to kill me right before the clock stopped. _'Oh no—I can't—'_ I made a move to get up, but I was going to be too late. My body had run out of juice; I couldn't flash-step anymore. Keeping myself off the ground was the only thing keeping me conscious… and now that I was down, my body had shut off.

I was going to die.

"Three, two…"

"Goodbye, Nagasuki Megumi."

I shut my eyes.

I didn't know exactly what to expect. If it was a two-hit kill, I was guessing that the death might be instant; it seemed like Soi Fon's method of killing. It was the perfect assassination: two jabs and you're done. I wish I had a trump card like that; it would certainly make situations like these much easier.

Death—it certainly was quick. I felt nothing but a dark shadow fall over me, like darkness smothering me and drawing me into its icy grip… Could this really be how I would end? It was so dream-like. It was as if I wasn't really here at all…

I wonder, if I died here as a Shinigami, what would happen to my body back in the living world?

'_I'm so sorry Hikaru, Riana… Takuya-oji… And Toushirou, I'm sorry you had to see me fail…'_

I was afraid to open my eyes, but my ears picked up words.

"Megumi, open your eyes." That sounded like… Hikaru? They killed him already?

They obediently shot open. "Hikaru?"

Riana's head came into view. "Are you okay?"

I exhaled, releasing the breath that I didn't know I was holding. Everything was deadly quiet now. The crowd stopped cheering and I was still on the floor and in the same place, meaning I was still alive somehow. Hikaru and Riana were on either side of me. I glanced at them both briefly. "Guys, what are you…?"

"Hitsugaya," I heard Soi Fon hiss. "What are you doing?"

I blinked and gazed upwards. The shadow that I had felt cast on me was still there, and a familiar white haori brandishing the number ten met me. My eyes widened. "Toushirou?"

He didn't answer me. "Time's up," he said.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Laugh Away" by YUI_

* * *

**A/N:** :D Okay, so I realize that I really stink at fight scenes. Forgive me! Apparently I wasn't born to fight either… And sorry if I disappointed some of you in my choice for the test. :P I'm not very creative in that area either!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's definitely a lot longer than it usually is, so that's a plus. :)

Not really much to say here… But I'm thinking that by chapter 60 this story will either be done, or super-super close to done. Sadness! I'm going to miss writing this… D:

So next chapter I have a very important announcement! So stay tuned!

Thank you all so much for your reviews!

**hitsugayaXOX, Dragon of Twilight, FireWingedWolf, hyourin-kusabana, Phoenix and Fire, RheaTheMeepoe, Onepiecewonder, Mournful Storms, aminea88, Kuro-Neko Keiko-Hime, viettvnt, Satupilvi, HeadstrongNozomi, Banalaya, CRdragonPyro, FailedWriter, iLoVE, Naruto-Lover227, triggerspec, steel-alchemist, LadyChaos1011, XxFallingAngelxX, Little Bellflower, Mai, FrozenIceCream, TheKingJingles, PassionsDesire, Mine Luriya, AngelDeLumiere, HookedOnAvatar011, Arin-chan, BionicLemon, Morbid Mello, indigoia, LadyAmazon, (censored), makoko, jennyz, Sportin' Purple Neck Pillows, HANYAxtaiga, Kosa Kinoshita, aoitsuki77, I'm a Reader, Emkhya, Oshima zakura, Leopardstar, dokuki, pinkatailmon, -lazy llama-, NeferNeferi, iv, flora236, darkheart1992, Ikara-o-Kage, Uchiha Sasha, Sky-chan, ShioriOokami, RipplingWater, My Ashland, Shanni-chan, CarinaAiko, fanny-kun, AtsukiKandaFangirl, xXxAiriinxXx, -Not, , Karupin.69, Babbesyo, CrieLaw13, haku fan1, iWolf, NamineNasha, crystalstar83, Sakiru Yume, hellogoodbyexx, Immortal Eden, EternalxOblivion, Mudheart, RyuseiStreamGirl, Orangesz, erina destiny, kaito142, SunsetRainbow, Midnight Mel, faylin.917, WolfDragonTiger, rispah, Haimaru, MaruiBuntaWorshipper, PennyArcadeFan2, songo714, Paralysistracks, Serena Lockhart, Melodicxstar, Chryseilas, Crunch Berry Baroness, HitsugayaFanGirl, Julie013, THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU'RE THE BEST!**

**:)**

I love you all. Stay cool for the next update… I think you'll like the next chapter! ;)

Also, I may have pointed this out several chapters ago, but just to remind the old and new reviewers about the time in which Furareta is set: think of this as a whole different filler arc. Aizen is still somewhere in Hueco Mundo and all the humans are back where they're supposed to be in the real world, and all the Shinigami are back to where they're supposed to be. So there's no arc that Furareta takes place in; it's its own different time entity. :D

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!


	52. Our Little Secret

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

:D Well, I certainly wasn't expecting so many positive comments on my fight scene! I seriously thought I had no talent when it came to writing those… But I guess I may have a little! Thank you all so much for the encouragement! You're so amazing. :) It makes me super-sad to think about the end of the story… But at the same time, it's so exciting. This would be my first big story to write and complete! I've learned so much writing Furareta! But I'll save the whole "end" speech for the… well, end. :D

But for now, I encourage you to read on (I know you will anyway whether I encourage you or not! :P)! The big announcement I have will be at the end of the chapter. I only have one warning for you before you read the chapter…

It's another longer chapter!

And… MAJOR FLUFF ALERT! OMG BEWARE!

;)

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .**  
_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F I F T Y – T W O :**  
_"Our Little Secret"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Truth" by Arashi_

* * *

You know, I've come a long ways thanks to this great blessing called luck. I can't even begin to count how many time I've cheated death within the past several months. One would think that someone's good fortune could last for only so long before it wore out. And believe me, with everything that I've gone through, I wouldn't be surprised if I've used up two lifetimes' worth of luck. Facing bloodthirsty Hollows and running away from obsessive Bounto could stack a few years on a teenager's life—or produce some premature wrinkles. I definitely felt like I could be thirty right now, but I'm happy to say that the wrinkles were just pure expression.

However, when the time did come for me to die, I thought it only natural for me to die by the very people that changed my life: the Shinigami. Soi Fon seemed like a good person to die by. With her ruthless and pointed demeanor, I was not surprised that she had been a student under Yoruichi—but I loved Yoruichi to death, so I couldn't have picked a better person to be killed by.

When the Division 2 captain charged at me, her life-taking trump card of a zanpakutou reared back for the final strike, I thought it about time for my luck to disappear. I had done my best, but I couldn't even stand fifteen minutes alone against her; maybe it was better for me to die here than risk everyone else's safety on the field. I just wish I had the chance to say bye to Takuya-oji… My disappearance would kill him.

My eyes were squeezed shut as I was unwilling to see the reaper take me; but instead, there was a loud _clang_ as metal stabbed against metal, and a low hiss buzzed in the air. A pair of hands gentle gripped my shoulders. A voice that sounded vaguely like Hikaru's stunned me out of my wait, and I opened my eyes to see a pair of concerned onyx eyes staring at me. Riana?

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I blinked. Yamamoto said that Riana and Hikaru would die along with me if I failed. Had they executed them already? Or was I… _alive_? "Guys, what are you…?" I was too bewildered to finish my question.

Confusion hit me as I exchanged wide-eyed stares between Hikaru and Riana. They seemed alive enough… But how could I differentiate between souls and humans here? As I tried to organize my scattered thoughts, I felt something tickling my cheek. My fingers recognized a hemline. When I gazed up, I nearly choked.

"Hitsugaya-taichou," Soi Fon hissed. If poison had a sound, she had created it. "What are you doing?"

The number "ten" flashed on the white haori in front of me. I blinked again. "Toushirou…?"

He didn't answer me. "Time's up," he said.

Soi Fon narrowed her eyes—it was the nastiest glare I've ever seen—and jumped back, flicking her wrist. Suzumebachi disappeared in glittering light. Her gaze never wavered from him. "You risk more punishment for that weakling?" she spat.

He ignored her and turned to glare at me. I was locked in a trance, unable to produce any expression. Yes, he was glaring at me. Geez, what did I do now? "I thought you wanted to save your uncle," he said, struggling with his voice. I recognized that face immediately. He was mad. Somehow, it never took a lot to tick him off. "How can you just sit there and accept death when he's waiting for you to save him? Those victims need that medicine or they'll die! And your friends," he continued, motioning to the pair beside me, "how can you let them be killed? You said you wanted to protect the people close to you!"

Throughout his rant I did nothing but stare at him until he had finished. His eyes were enraged. I swallowed. "I'm… not dead, then?" I murmured.

He palmed his face and turned away, grumbling unprofessionally under his breath. Somehow it had gotten even colder than it was before. I could feel the hair on my arms start to freeze. Had he been the one affecting the temperature? "You are freaking retarded," he mumbled under his hand.

… Yep, I'm alive.

"But the timer!" I blurted. "I'm supposed to do this by myself…"

Hikaru scoffed. "You didn't think we'd actually let you die, did you?" He seemed honestly offended by the notion.

"We knew you could do it," Riana said. "But we didn't want to risk losing you…"

My expression fell. So they did end up saving me again in the end. That was infuriating. I couldn't even last fifteen minutes by myself against a captain… can I do nothing right?

The crowd began to grow noisy as silence lagged by without motion. I didn't notice. As I stared at Soi Fon, gradually realizing that I should be dead right now, I realized that Toushirou was right, as always. The future of my friends and family rested in my accomplishment here. How could I just throw away the one chance that was given to me?

Despite my protesting and exhausted limbs, I climbed to my feet to face Yamamoto. Who was I fooling? Not thinking I could move—what was I thinking? I sheathed Raiuta. "Yamamoto-san," I exclaimed.

Immediately the crowd fell dead silent. Yamamoto stood there with his bony hands on his staff.

My fists clenched nervously by my sides and bowed at my waist. "Please give me another chance! Next time, I won't fail. Make me last half an hour, an hour, three days—I don't care, but please let me try again! I won't fail again!"

"Hey, what are you…?" Hikaru murmured.

I want to see Takuya-oji again. I want to save those people. I didn't want to go and have peoples' blood on my hands.

I don't want to die. I had so much in this life that I had to do still…

The captain-commander didn't budge a centimeter as I begged him, and I couldn't read the expression on his face as he examined mine. Standing was taking a huge toll on my body. That survival match had completely drained me.

"Nagasuki Megumi," he finally started. His loud voice easily boomed over to where I was. "The crowd had been off in its timing."

I straightened up, arching a brow. The crowd had been off? Oh no—so I was definitely short of the mark? I felt my confidence drain and my heart thumping as the crowd grew restless again. Was he really going to kill me off then? Hikaru and Riana were frozen beside me, silently shocked.

"Three seconds," he continued.

I felt my knees go weak. I bowed again, not willing to give up. Failed by three or four seconds… "Please, soutaichou…"

"They were behind by three seconds."

Riana gasped. My eyes widened.

"Congratulations, Nagasuki," he said. "You have passed your test."

I blinked. "What…?"

"Then why didn't you stop her?" Hikaru snapped, motioning to Soi Fon. "If we hadn't stepped in, Megumi would've died!"

"My apologies, Nagasuki. I had to give your friends a chance to prove their loyalty, as well," Yamamoto responded. "I wanted to see if you two would still jump in to save her, regardless of the rules. If you had not been loyal to Nagasuki in the end, then how could I expect you to be loyal to us? I had to make sure."

"So you gambled her life?" Riana gasped.

There was a flash in Yamamoto's eye. "She's alive, isn't she?"

Yes, that's right, I realized. I'm alive… I'm alive.

"However, although I should have, I didn't expect Hitsugaya-taichou's involvement," he admitted with a long stroke of his beard. He turned his head to acknowledge Toushirou. "I suppose I did give you the order to protect her, didn't I?"

I glanced at Toushirou, who seemed just as surprised as I was. Craftily ignoring me, however, he nodded slowly. "Yes, sir," he replied, although he sounded uncertain.

I smiled. Good—I didn't want him to get in trouble because of me again. Geez, that soutaichou is confusing; he acts like my dead grandpa one day, turns into something evil and conniving the next, and back to grandpa again. Understanding him was not going to be easy.

"So… I really passed? I can fight with you guys? And Hikaru and Riana can, too?" I asked. I was almost expecting him to say "psyche!" (or something to that effect)—it was unreal.

"You have passed your test. I will allow you to keep your powers and fight with us. Minamoto Hikaru and Riana will be treated as one of us. However, we will have another meeting after this battle to decide what will be done with you all," Yamamoto replied with a curt nod.

I would be jumping around and screaming at the top of my lungs like someone who just won the lottery if I weren't so exhausted. But I did manage a huge smile. "Thank you so much, Yamamoto-san!"

"You are a Shinigami for now; refer to me as 'soutaichou,'" he replied. "I will deliver a message to you shortly after you get rest."

And just like that, as if it had been so simple, he waltzed right on off, followed by a line of his captains one-by-one. When I looked, I saw that Toushirou had disappeared as well.

After a moment of silence the Shinigami began to disperse with loud murmurings; and familiar bodies of reiatsu that I recognized as Rangiku, Momo, and Hanatarou came prancing toward us. I felt Hikaru and Riana congratulate and hug me, but I was too tired to notice any of them.

And finally I heard Hikaru bid me a good nap as I promptly fell into deep and well-needed slumber.

'_We did it, Raiuta.'_

* * *

I don't know how long I had been out, but by the time I opened my eyes, it was dark. It took me a moment or two to stir myself completely from sleep. With more effort than I thought, I sat up. Where am I? What happened? Ow—my head hurts. Did I hit my head? Let's see. What do I remember last?

I woke up one morning and Hanatarou delivered my breakfast… I was really nervous about a test… Oh yeah, the test Yamamoto was going to give me. I wanted to help the Shinigami save my uncle. If I didn't pass, I was going to die along with Hikaru and Riana. It was all coming back to me. I had to survive against Soi Fon for fifteen minutes. Did I ever pass that…?

No—Soi Fon got me again with her zanpakutou at the last second. I blinked.

I'm dead?

_( Gumi-chan! You're awake! )_ Raiuta cheered.

'_Raiuta! Zanpakutou follow their owners to the grave?'_ I panicked. _'Oh, I 'm so sorry Raiuta—if only I was stronger…'_

_( Huh? What the hay are you talking about? ) _

'_Soi Fon was crazy fast and I couldn't keep up! She killed me, and now you're here with me too… Well, I'm not that I'm upset that you're here but I didn't want you to suffer with me! Wah, I'm so sorry!'_

_( Are you stupid? You're alive, retard! And you passed! By an extra three seconds! )_

I covered my face with my hands, ashamed. _'You don't have to try to make me feel better, Rai. It's okay, really… I'll just become a real Shinigami and train extra hard. I'll train hard enough to beat Soi Fon!'_

_( Uh… Yeah. That's great and all, Gumi-chan, but… )_

'_This is all my fault!'_

_( Would you shut up?! You're alive and you're going to fight in the battle this Friday! Gain some confidence, girl! )_

'_Why are you lying to me?! You always tell the truth!'_

_( Gumi-chan, I'm rolling my eyes. ) _She paused just so I would know she was. _( Because I _am_ telling the truth, you dolt! Listen to me: you just woke up from a very long nap. You're in Division 4 right now. Look—Unohana's even coming to check up on you. )_

'_Unohana-san?'_

There was a rap on the door, and I was promptly thrown out of my conversation. The door quietly slid open to reveal the motherly doctor herself. "You're awake now?" she asked. A gentle, calming smile was on her face as she closed the door and approached me. "How are you feeling?"

I blinked as her fingers felt my forehead and cheeks. "I'm… I'm alive?" I murmured in confusion.

Unohana giggled. "Yes, quite. You were out for some time though; it's nearly midnight."

_( I told you… )_

And then the rest of my blurry memory reappeared, playing bit by bit in my mind. Why hadn't I remembered something so important? Hmm… It was probably because I didn't believe it myself.

Wow. I passed…

"Was I keeping you up? I'm sorry," I said.

"Oh no, don't worry. I had other business to attend to," she replied. "I fixed you up while you were sleeping and you should be one hundred percent in the morning. How does your wrist feel?"

For the first time, I looked down. Both my hands were in my lap; my sword sat next to me. Cautiously I lifted my left arm and twisted it in every which direction. Not an ounce of pain detected. "It feels great," I whispered, shocked. "Kidou?"

She smiled and nodded. I definitely needed to learn some of these spells. "Do you need water or food?" I shook my head. For some reason, I wasn't that hungry. "Good," she said. The smile on her face never left her. "Are you feeling well enough for conversation? You have a visitor who's been waiting for you to wake up."

"A visitor?" I repeated. Who would wait until midnight to talk to me? Was it Hikaru and Riana? "Yeah, I'm wide awake now," I replied with a reassuring smile.

Unohana seemed to inspect my face for a moment longer, clarifying my words. "All right, I'll go fetch him," she said as she walked towards the door.

I stared at the door after she left, my curiosity now piqued. I wonder who it was. It was a boy… probably Hikaru. As I guessed at names, I turned to swing my legs off the side of the bed.

I didn't wait long until there was a hesitant knock on my door. "Come in," I replied uncertainly. As the door opened, my eyes bulged.

A familiar wave of reiatsu suddenly became very obvious to me as Toushirou stood in the entryway.

Oh dear.

He stood within the door frame, his hand on the sliding door. "Can I come in?" he asked.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

_( I've been waiting a long time for this day… )_

'_Raiuta—'_

_( I know, I know—leave the lovely couple alone. Got'cha. Have fun! )_

'_Raiuta—no! Wait!'_

I almost grimaced. She abandoned me.

Okay, think, Megumi—what do I say next?

"Sorry for making you wait so late," I said. He leaned coolly against the wall next to the window and crossed his arms. Typical Toushirou looking painfully gorgeous. I hope he couldn't see my blush.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, casting his teal eyes on me. Under the shadow of the moon, they glowed as brightly as a flock of green fireflies at night—and captivated me the same way. He said nothing else.

Ugh, this is so _awkward_. I had just woken up after a long morning and now Toushirou decides to come visit me. What was he thinking? Sigh… It reminded me of old times… I felt like I was in my own bed one typical night, and Toushirou would enter in through my window like he always did and I would bug him. It felt like forever ago that it all happened, but not even a year has passed since I met Toushirou. Meeting a Shinigami does stack some premature years on you.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked suddenly.

He looked surprised by the question. "Why do you ask?" he asked back.

"Well… after the test, you sounded pretty ticked off," I pointed out, daring to give him a look. "Thanks for saving me, by the way."

He didn't answer right away. "I was angry, but I didn't mean to shout at you like that," he admitted, looking a bit thrown. "I didn't want you to die before you had your chance to prove yourself."

I smiled. "I didn't expect Yamamoto-soutaichou to pull something like that."

He huffed. "Believe it or not, I think he's starting to take a liking to you," he shrugged. "I wouldn't know why."

Despite how much I wanted to laugh, I pouted at him. "Jerk," I mumbled. "He reminds me of a grandpa. A very moody grandpa…"

"It would be in your best interest to keep that to yourself," he said as he rubbed his temple. "Congratulations on passing, by the way."

I grinned. It was one thing when my friends congratulated me, but it was a different thing when Toushirou did it. My stomach did a couple flips. "Thanks."

He glanced at me as I beamed at him and promptly looked away. "While we're on that subject," he continued heatedly, "Yamamoto-soutaichou wanted me to deliver a message to you."

I nodded. He did say that he'd give me a message after I woke up. "That's why you're visiting?"

He paused. "I suppose that's a part of it," he mysteriously replied. "He wants you to sharpen your skills before we go fight Daijiro. Since you'll most likely be on the support line, you'll be training with Division 4 until Friday."

I almost groaned. More training? I couldn't argue though—I did need it. As long as it wasn't Yoruichi or Soi Fon (I have a feeling that she doesn't like me very much) doing the training, I would be fine. Otherwise, I won't be able to move come Friday. "Okay. Are you going to be in the battle?"

"Of course," he replied, as if it was an obvious answer. "I have a score to settle with Daijiro."

I grinned, relieved. "Don't get in my way," I joked. He scoffed.

His eyes were on me as I giggled, unable to hold it in any longer. It was getting increasingly easier to talk to him. Typical; I always got the butterflies when talking to him or even being near him, but talking to him was easy. It was so confusing, but I loved it. Wow—I really was foolish for trying to get over him. My feelings for him haven't changed one bit.

"You seem happy," he observed, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Hmm?" My smile disappeared as I returned his gaze. "Do I not come off to you as a happy person?"

He shrugged. "I guess happiness could be synonymous with ignorance."

"Hey, I'm a Shinigami now—you don't want to mess with me," I warned him with a wag of my finger. "Don't tempt the thunder." Gosh, puns sounded so stupid when they came from me. In fact, puns in general sound stupid. Why was I cracking one?

He raised a single eyebrow.

"Shut up," I murmured before he could say anything.

Silence fell between us again, but I was nowhere near as nervous. In fact, I was ecstatic. There was nothing like being in the presence of someone you love after months of separation. He may not feel the same way—and maybe not ever—but that didn't affect me. If this was as far as we went for as long as we both lived, I would still be the happiest person in the world.

"I don't understand you."

I turned to Toushirou, confused. "Why?"

The expression on his face was twisted into a small scowl. He was suddenly frustrated and he looked away. "Aren't you mad at me?"

I blinked. Mad at him? Why would I be mad at him? A couple seconds passed. "Is it because I slapped you that you think that?" I asked. "I'm sorry about that—and for fighting you, too. I was just really mad then." The first words out of his mouth were "what are you doing here?" after all. "I'm not mad at you."

"You idiot," he grumbled. "That's not what I meant."

It took me a while to understand what he was saying, until it finally occurred to me. Oh—he thought I was mad at him for leaving me. This was a touchy subject. I had thought about it on occasion—thought about what I felt about the whole ordeal, anyway. Not even I knew why I wasn't mad… I just wasn't. I sat there quietly for a while as he stared at me, using the time to think about what I was going to say. Finally I slid off the bed and tested the balance on my legs to make sure they were functioning right. I walked over to the window he was standing beside and folded my arms over the window sill. His eyes never left me. Now I understood.

So this is why he came to visit.

"I'm not mad at you," I repeated, staring out into the night. The stars glittered one by one, as if encouraging me. I gathered up my courage for the next bit, but I couldn't block a potent blush as I said, "I'm still in love with you, you know."

Toushirou kicked off from the wall and turned so that he completely faced me. "I don't understand," he said again. His tone was urgent, almost angry—something I've never heard from him before—and his expression was unbelieving. "How could you? After everything I said… How can you still say that?"

I gave him a small smile. "Toushirou, you could have sworn at me and condemned me to a very bad place and I still would feel the same about you," I replied. I don't know where the words came from, but they flowed so naturally. "I guess most girls would give up after being rejected like that… and for a while, I was trying. At least, I thought I was. After all, it was a waste of time to keep thinking about someone who didn't love you the same way," I shrugged. "But in the end… I didn't. I couldn't. To be honest, it was really stupid of me to try."

I couldn't tell if he was trying to see where I was getting at, but he only seemed to get more frustrated. His brows knit together in a tight knot as he tried to think and sort out his thoughts. I wish I knew what was going on in his mind. His arms were rigid and his hands were clenched in tight fists at his sides.

"Toushirou," I murmured. I dared to touch his arm, ignoring the tingles that surged up my body. I paused until he was looking at my eyes again, and I said, "I love you. Isn't that enough?"

He seemed to calm down—but now he looked hesitant. "Nagasuki," he started suddenly. His voice was surprisingly soft, as was his expression. "Would you believe me if I said that everything I told you in that elevator was a lie?"

The question caught me off guard. I withdrew my arm, thinking again. "Um, probably not," I admitted.

"Why?"

I found myself blushing again. I turned my head to look out the window again. "Well…" I started, loosely crossing my arms. "It's…" Toushirou remained silent as he pressed me to continue. My blush deepened. "It would be too good to be true," I finished, frowning. I could only dream of him saying such things.

The expression on his face didn't change, although he did look at least surprised by the answer. I tried to avoid his piercing gaze, but relented when he said my name. When I looked into his eyes, I detected something else than his confusion: sorrow.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

I held my breath. What?

He held my gaze easily. "Everything I said to you—that you were a bother, that I was never your friend, that everything was your fault—it was all a lie. All of it," he pressed. "I'm sorry, Nagasuki."

I don't know how long I had been holding my breath, but when I finally released it, I almost choked. I didn't know what I had choked on until I felt tears streaming down my face. I dabbed at them with my fingers, stunned.

I held my hands up to my face to hide it from his even more confused stare. The poor guy was probably so lost now.

"What's wrong now?" he asked.

"I knew it," I cried. "I'm dreaming. This is all a dream. Raiuta _was_ lying to me… I really am dead!"

"Nagasuki," he said. He had his you're-so-stupid tone turned on. "You're not dreaming. And you're not dead."

"You're lying!"

"You don't believe me?" He sounded incredulous.

"Of course not. I was stupid for thinking otherwise… Geez, everything is always so _perfect_ when you're in it!" I said between sobs.

He sighed. "You still cry over the stupidest things," he pointed out. "What can I do to make you believe me?"

"You can wake me up," I offered.

He almost scoffed. "Stop being an idiot," he scolded me, but he sounded thoughtful. I felt his hands grip my wrists to try to bring them down. I tugged out of his hands only to have him grab me again. "Nagasuki," he almost growled. "Nagasuki, look at me."

"No—I want to wake up!"

He sighed in exasperation. "If you would put your arms down, I _will _wake you up."

I paused—and slowly, I loosened the tension in my arms. Without a hint of effort, he replaced my hands with his own as he gently cupped my face; and before I could even think about anything other than his alarmingly close proximity, his teal eyes closed and a pair of soft lips pressed against mine. My mind drew a complete blank, and suddenly my feet felt like a couple of pools.

I thought my heart was going to explode. Hitsugaya Toushirou is… kissing me?

The thought barely registered in my mind before he pulled away. His hands fell from my face to grip my arms as he examined my face for a second time. The expression on my face could be compared to a fish. I couldn't think—I don't think I was even breathing. But my heart thumped wildly in my chest like a snare drum, each beat telling me that I was, indeed, wide awake. My skin felt hotter than lava under his fingers.

He pulled me back down to earth as he flicked my forehead. "Stop gaping," he snapped heatedly. "Well? Are you still sleeping?"

I swallowed. "Uh," I stammered pathetically. As my brain slowly started working again, my blush deepened. With shaking hands I shyly gripped his toned arms and rose on my toes to kiss him again, experiencing the feeling of light-headedness again. It felt like I had left my body in the Arctic and submerged into a hot spring, it was so drastic; drastic, different, and absolutely amazing. Yep, I wasn't imagining it. He softly returned it, one of his hands lightly tangling itself in my hair; the other arm curled around my waist.

The kiss was everything I wanted my first kiss to be: soft, sweet, and loving. Could a dream imitate such an unbelievable feeling?

When we separated again, I found myself breathless. "So… I really am awake," I breathed, feeling wonderfully woozy. He seemed to huff at my bland response and he rubbed the back of his neck, gazing off. Under the light of the moonlight, I could recognize a hint of pink on his tanned skin. I beamed at him. "Well, now that I think about it, there _is_ something you can do to prove that you're not lying. A couple things, actually."

His eyes were wide with unbelief. "You _still_ think I'm lying?" he asked. He sounded offended.

I stared at him seriously. I definitely believed him now; a dream was too limited to produce emotions like _that_. It was hard to keep a straight face, but messing with him was too much fun to crack up. "Do you want me to keep thinking you're a liar or what?"

He glared at me. "What do you want, Nagasuki?"

My business frown didn't fade. "You know how impersonal it is for you to continue referring to me as Nagasuki? I feel like I'm nothing but an acquaintance—like one of the Shinigami in your squad." I plopped my fists on my hips. "Start calling me Megumi from now on, okay?"

He blinked, startled by my request. Apparently he wasn't used to calling people by their first names, or being asked to do so—but I would not be moved. "Nagasuki—"

"Hitsugaya," I interrupted him. He frowned. I raised a brow.

"Fine," he growled, exasperated.

I crossed my arms unbelievingly. "Say it."

His eye twitched. It was so funny watching him struggle with something. The great Hitsugaya Toushirou, the child prodigy, couldn't call someone by their first name without bursting a circuit. "… Megumi," he said quietly. Was that really so hard?

I grinned. "Shiro-kun," I nodded.

I saw a vein burst in his forehead, which caused me to break out in giggles. "Just kidding," I said, waving my hands. "It's cute though, eh?"

"What was the other thing?" he asked, looking annoyed. The expression on his face told me the opposite though. If he wasn't Toushirou, then I would have expected him to start laughing.

"Oh yeah," I exclaimed. "The second thing…"

He stared at me patiently, waiting for another brain-blowing task, and looking increasingly perturbed as a devious smile curled onto my lips. Suddenly I leaped at him. My arms wrapped around his torso and I nuzzled my face into his neck before he could escape. He almost yelped. "I want a _big_ hug!" I laughed.

Same old Toushirou, still hating any form of contact. "Nagasuki—"

"What was that?"

"Megumi—" he corrected, grabbing my shoulders. "Stop it! Get off!" I simply laughed at him and hugged him tighter. It took him several seconds to realize that I wasn't about to let go, and finally he just stood there, sighing. He put a hand on the back of my head, lightly securing me.

My ears twitched as I heard something. Frozen and quiet as if I had been shot with a stun gun, I pulled back from him. My eyes were huge. "Wh-What did you say?"

His face turned darker. "I didn't say anything," he lied.

I held his arms as he looked away, embarrassed. Suddenly a wide grin slowly formed on my face, and I felt myself blushing as my heart thumped louder and wilder. My hands slipped from him to fold timidly behind my back. I looked at my feet for a couple seconds before smiling at him. "I missed you, too."

He sneaked a glance at me from the corner of his eyes before facing me again. Our gazes locked for a moment, my grin against the straight line of his lips.

And then he smiled. At least, as close to a smile as Toushirou could manage.

I think my heart stopped.

Raiuta couldn't contain herself any longer.

_( Where's Unohana-taichou?! I think my master had a heart attack! … Wait, she doesn't have one! Police, call the police! Hitsugaya-taichou stole Gumi-chan's heart! )_

The look on his face in reaction to my pathetic and painfully obvious blush was hilarious—especially when my blush caused him to blush, which resulted in him looking away from me again.

There was a knock on the door. A gentle voice broke through the atmosphere. "Hitsugaya-taichou, I'm afraid Nagasuki-chan needs her rest."

We both turned to see Unohana Retsu standing at the door, her kind smile on her face. "You do as well. Both of you should get as much rest as you can."

Raiuta laughed until she started snorting. _( Your hero! )_

I don't know about Toushirou, but I was as red as a sunburned lobster. How long has she been standing there?

"You're right," Toushirou said. Suddenly he was calm and cool again. "Thank you, Unohana-taichou." He turned to me, his teal eyes glowing under the night-time shimmer. "Goodnight."

I smiled back. "You too," I said.

We held eye contact for a little while before he finally started off, bowing his head to Unohana as he stepped out. She returned the same gesture and watched him leave before glancing at me. I stared at her quietly, somewhat scared. What did she see?

It was like she heard my question. She smiled softly and winked at me as she closed the door. "Goodnight, Nagasuki-chan."

I bowed my head respectfully. "Goodnight, Unohana-taichou."

I smiled to myself and cuddled into my bed, knowing that tonight would be our little secret.

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Laugh Away" by YUI_

* * *

**A/N:** Bahaha! I think this is the fluffiest thing I've ever written! :D Finally, the chapter you've all been waiting for! I hope you enjoyed it. I was trying so hard not to make Hitsugaya OOC, and I hope I succeeded to a degree. :)

So yay, they finally made up after six months of confusion! Happiness! But what now? What other things will they face? Oh the mystery! Will Megumi learn some awesome new moves before the big fight?

All will be answered within the next chapters!

So yes, about the "big announcement" I needed to… well, announce. I don't like to beat around the bush (for too long), so I'll just give it straight.

I won't be making a sequel. :(

I know I said I was going to make one! And at the time I said that, I really was. But then I got to thinking about it… and I realized that since I just finished my first year at college, I'll be even more busy with school work and projects from now on. I won't have time to update anymore. :( I'm so sorry guys! I didn't mean to lead some of you on like that… I really did want to write another story starring Megumi and Toushirou. :( But I think it would be best if I don't start a story that I'm not sure I'll finish.

So Furareta will be one story. :) I'm sorry! I might right a one-shot after the whole thing, but we'll see. You guys have been so supportive of me… I appreciate it whole-heartedly. You guys have inspired me to become an actual author, and maybe after this I'll start focusing on an actual publish-worthy piece. :)

So yeah, that was my big announcement. I'm so sorry about this! :(

I love you all to death—you know that!

**Dragon of Twilight, Claamchowder, Babbesyo, hyourin-kusabana, RubberduckzillaAndShuuhei, The Rain Collector, Ikara-o-Kage, Banalaya, FrozenIceCream, Satupilvi, iv, dokuki, Mina Luriya, flora236, I'm a Reader, FailedWriter, HeadstrongNozomi, aminea88, jennyz, hitsugayaXOX, LadyChaos1011, Mai, makoko, Afiercebeauty, AngelDeLumiere, Serena Lockhart, viettvnt, indigoia, Onepiecewonder, jazzmin92, archerrylime, joster13, raesigns, Crunch Berry Baroness, Uchiha Sasha, Sakiru Yume, Melodicxstar, steel-alchemist, Mournful Storms, BionicLemon, crystalstar83, Orangesz, Shanni-chan, pinkatailmon, Morbid Mello, My Ashland, BlackWingzObi, AzureBlue, , VeryWithdrawn, Haimaru, SunsetRainbow, CrieLaw13, Elli-Happy!Not, MaruiBuntaWorshipper, Hikari6007, Mari Ferolla, Kouyan, HANYAxtaiga, fanny-kun, erina destiny, HookedOnAvatar011, hellogoodbyexx, AkatsukiKandaFangirl, Immortal Eden, sleeping cat, Oshima zakura, frowninggivesyouwrinkles, Aqua4, NamineNasha, ember-chan, Sportin' Purple Neck Pillows, RyuseiStreamGirl, Paralysistracks, PennyArcadeFan2, Naruto-Lover227, Emkhya, CRdragonPyro, icedragon205, zeratheliger, haku fan1, darkheart1992, Koromo Magic, lill'goddess, Julie013, HitsugayaFanGirl, KurokamiHaruhi, aoitsuki77, Midnight Mel, Kana090, triggerspec, poopiness, kaito142, iLoVE, TheKingJingles, .Oblivious, THANK YOU!**

You guys have been giving me so many reviews lately… I love it, and I love you all! Thank you so much! :)

I hope you enjoyed the chapter… and once again, review, review, review for the next! ;)

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!


	53. The Angel

**B A Y O – B A Y O :**

Hey guys! An early update for you all, just because I love you!

:D Haha, I'm so glad you all liked the fluff! I had as much fun writing it as you did reading it. I'm sorry to say (kind of, not really) that this chapter is more or less completely a filler chapter. I didn't feel like jumping right back into Karakura after the make-up, so I decided to let my imagination wander—and it made this huge chapter. :P I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless—I sure did! Actually, I think this may be one of my favorite chapters yet.

So read on!

* * *

**. F U R A R E T A .  
**_… "love hurts"… a bleach fanfiction_

_--_

_Furareta © b a y o – b a y o  
Bleach © Kubo Tite_

_--_

**CHAPTER F I F T Y – T H R E E :**  
_"The Angel"_

* * *

_Opening Theme__: "Truth" by Arashi_

* * *

**( HITSUGAYA TOUSHIROU )**

Five days. That was all the time I was given to prepare for the battle.

It wasn't like I was nervous—no, if I felt anything at the moment, I felt excited, somewhat—but I never reacted well to impromptu missions. By default Yamamoto had placed me on the "rescue and obliterate" assignment with several other Shinigami who felt the same way I did: out of place and out of mind. The mission was too close for me to realize the importance of it at the moment, and that sheer fact alone frustrated me to no end. No amount of training or thinking could help me register the notion that after half a year of being stuck in Seireitei, I was finally going back to the human world.

Going back to the human world to end what I had initially, practically started: take care of the Bounto.

It was an important and dangerous assignment. Daijiro Yasuo is a crafty man who is not to be trifled with. The other Bounto carry powers that I haven't witnessed. I was going to go to a battlefield where I didn't know the enemies' weaknesses save for one, and that wasn't a very confident statement to build a strategy from. And the fact that Nagasuki—well, I guess Megumi, now—was going to be _in_ this brawl wasn't helping me concentrate any better. If I had my way, Megumi would be nowhere near that blasted forest. I was surprised I haven't even brought up the possibility of her staying out of the battle to her, but in the end, I guess it would be useless. That human was so stubborn already; it would be impossible to dissuade her when her uncle's life is at stake.

With a sigh I cast an idle glance at the calendar on my desk. Wednesday—it had been three days since I visited her. I haven't so much as seen her since.

_( Why not go visit her for a while? )_ Hyourinmaru suggested.

I held my chin in my palm and tapped my pen noisily against the wooden desk. _'She would be training right now. I shouldn't bother her.' _If scrubbing mold from the floors of Seireitei and cleaning Division 11 barracks was classified as "training." That was all they seemed to do, anyway—at least, whenever I saw them wandering around here.

_( You never did make up the best excuses, master, )_ Hyourinmaru pointedly replied. You could count on my subconscious to see through my act. _( I thought you would be happy. Is something bothering you? )_

I sighed. _'You would think that things would be easier between us after we talked.' _I wasn't saying that things haven't gotten easier. It was a good thing to be able to be on steady terms with her again; but what was I supposed to do now? Eyes were watching me and I had to plan my steps deliberately and carefully. One wrong move and it would spell disaster for both of us. It was tricky topic that I really didn't want to deal with, which was the primary reason that I haven't seen her in a few days.

He huffed. _( After you talked… among other things… )_

And just that easily, my train of thought crashed and burned.

I groaned. The stupid dragon hasn't left me alone since that incident, and each reminder and subtle tease always managed to evoke an interesting and unwanted combination of wrath and embarrassment, neither of which I enjoyed displaying. _'Aren't dragons supposed to be reverent towards their masters?'_ I thought bitterly, holding a hand over my now warm face. Blasted teenage hormones.

_( My apologies, )_ he amended. _( I cannot help but be happy, master—and proud, as well. You handled that situation magnificently. )_

I pressed my hand to my face, as if trying to suppress the heat. I was failing miserably, and the stupid animal was enjoying every second of my suffering. _'Would you shut up already?'_

_( I could not have done it better myself, )_ he continued smugly, purposely ignoring me. _( I think I was as surprised as she was after you had— )_

I audibly growled. _'_SHUT UP!_'_

There was a low rumbling in his throat as he receded, albeit reluctantly. Despite appearances, Hyourinmaru could be disgustingly spiteful. _( You are such a child still, master. Nonetheless, I truly am happy that you have found your mate… Although I never thought she would be a human. )_

I sighed and rubbed my temples with my index and middle fingers. _'First of all, stop calling me a child. I'm well over a couple centuries old. Secondly, stop referring to her as a _mate_. She's not an animal,' _I growled.

He sounded like he was sighing. _( Master, master—still so testy about the subject. Why can you not let it go and admit that you enjoyed it as much as you pretend you did not? )_

'_Because I have a reputation to keep, a squad to lead, and a strategy to devise. Thinking about _that _isn't going to help me concentrate any better than I am now,' _I snapped. And right now, my concentration level was zero, thanks to him.

_( Maybe an afternoon nap would help you, )_ he suggested. _( You have fallen out of your napping habit. Perhaps that is why you have been so grumpy and hard to please lately. )_

'_Hard to please?' _I repeated with a roll of my eyes.

_( May I bring to remembrance that time when Matsumoto actually completed her paperwork a couple months ago? )_

'_Yes, I remember. That was after the time I discovered that she had left her darn sake bottles in my desk one night _again_ and were discovered by Yamamoto the next day,' _I replied bitterly. _'And then for some idiotic reason, I took the blame.' _I think he sent someone to check out my cabinets every night after that. I suppose that taught me a lesson: Matsumoto actually did have a conscience.

Hyourinmaru chuckled. _( I hardly think Yamamoto truly believed you. He knows you are a responsible, sober-minded captain. )_

'_Responsible, maybe, but lacking a specific state of mind.' _Robotic, more like. Those days weren't missed. Yamamoto probably thought I had gotten so depressed that I gave in to Matsumoto's drinking habits. As if I needed to get any more messed up at the time.

_( So, back to the naps you've been skipping… )_

I sighed. _'I can't right now. There's too much going on.'_ I had been given the task of training with Minamoto Hikaru from Yamamoto. Why he chose me out of all the thirteen captains (ten now, technically) of Gotei 13 I didn't know. I assumed it was because of our likeness in skill. Despite appearances and personalities, that Bounto was a formidable fighter. He, too, has an ice-related power—and a powerful one at that, in the form of a wolf. The first time I sparred against him, I barely left as the winner. His skill would be valuable on the field.

But after three days of dealing with him, I began to conjure my own guesses about why Yamamoto had chosen my division to train him—but that only led to me hoping that I would be wrong.

Speaking of Minamoto, something was bothering him. I hardly knew him—in fact, we were barely acquaintances—but he has been acting strange lately, ever since two days ago. Although it didn't affect his performances, he seemed distracted in his training and sparring matches; and to my sheer shock, he rarely spoke. In fact, he hasn't even snapped at me yet. I suppose I shouldn't be worried—he could care less about me, I knew—but for some reason, the thought that something might be wrong continued to plague me whenever I saw him.

_( Perhaps he knows about what happened between you and Nagasuki. )_

I thought about it for a second. It was a possibility, but not very likely. _'I know I haven't told anybody, so he didn't get it from me if he knows; and if Megumi were to tell someone, I doubt she would tell him. They are fairly close, after all, and that guy is deathly protective of her.'_

Hyourinmaru huffed. _( Do I detect a hint of jealousy in that tone, master? )_

The bloody embarrassment returned. I felt like freezing all the blood in my body so I could be numb to this blasted heat. _'Don't stray from the subject, Hyourinmaru.'_

_( Coincidental how our conversations for the past few days have always meandered back to her… )_

'_It's no fault of mine, I'm sure,' _I was quick to snap, making sure he understood the bitterness in my expression. And on that final note, I shut him out of my mind, finally left to my own thoughts. He wasn't helping me out either.

Minamoto Hikaru is a tricky person—hard to understand. I don't know if he purposely encrypts himself like that to avoid my intuition, but it was a witty guard. He didn't let people see into him easily, and although I didn't know exactly what was wrong, I knew something was off. He had been a talented actor, but not good enough to escape my intuition.

I huffed angrily. Why was I wasting so much time thinking about him anyway? His problems weren't my concern. But then again, he is one of Megumi's best friends… So I suppose I should at least look out for him. To a degree. That is, unless the problem he was facing right now related to me, which it most likely did.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Who is it?" I asked, still irritated as I massaged my temple.

"Me."

I resisted the urge to sigh as I immediately recognized the voice. "What do you want?" I replied just as snappily.

The door slid open and my eyes zeroed in on Minamoto Hikaru's profile. Speak of the Bounto himself. "Just came to talk to my most favorite person in the world." The false, almost mocking grin on his face frustrated me almost as much as his sarcasm did. The door shut behind him and he stood there, taking in the non-too-extravagant surroundings.

"What do you want?" I repeated again, trying to tame my patience—which, whenever he was involved, always seemed to wear thinner. "Have you come to finally tell me what's wrong?" Might as well ask him straight out.

Minamoto casually paused, sparing me a glance with his bright blue eyes. "Why would I tell a complete stranger about my problems, assuming I had one?"

I shrugged. "Why else would you be here? You despise me."

He raised a red brow. "And that justifies me spilling my problems to you because…?"

I understood now. "Because it's a problem that you can't tell Megumi or your sister—not yet, anyway—because it involves your feelings." Judging by the look on his face, he hasn't told a single soul about what was bothering him; and if it was something big enough that he would hide from Megumi and his sister, it undoubtedly had something to do with his feelings towards Nagasuki Megumi herself.

Which means that he knows about what happened that night, and he came to ask me about my next course of action.

"It was easy to figure out, really," he shrugged. "Megumi's been happier than a kid on Christmas morning since the day of her test—or rather, the night after you paid your little visit." He paused to examine my face, the expression on his own hard. "She really loves you, you know. That just makes me despise you all the more for leaving her."

My own eyes hardened. "Thank you for taking care of her," I sincerely said, although my tone was firm.

"Don't thank me," he said. "I didn't do anything for you. Count yourself lucky that Megumi would kill me if I did anything to you."

Not that he could, I dared to voice. My judgment steered my words otherwise though.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked, the inevitable question I had been waiting to hear.

"Right now I'm preparing for the battle we'll be in two days from now. You would be wise in doing the same."

He huffed. "Don't be smart with me, genius boy. Shinigami-human relationships are outlawed. You aren't planning another heartbreak are you? I don't think I need to remind you of what came out of that."

Megumi becoming a Shinigami and learning how to fight; Nagasuki Takuya getting kidnapped; and an inevitable reunion with her, to name a few. I didn't need to be reminded.

But I couldn't give him an answer—not when I didn't even have one myself. "I don't know yet," I loosely replied.

"That's not good enough."

"I'm not exactly in the position to flaunt a forbidden relationship," I responded testily. "This is dangerous ground, and I'm not planning to walk on it until after your ex-leader is taken care of." That was probably the only thing I knew to do at the moment. I couldn't juggle two gargantuan situations at once.

He crossed his arms, the lids of his eyes lowering halfway. "I guess that would be the best thing to do now, wouldn't it?" he asked spitefully.

"If you agreed with me that easily, I guess I should brace myself," I pointed out spitefully. "What do you really want, Minamoto? Why are you here?"

Minamoto stared at me for a moment before taking a few steps closer, away from the door. He leaned against the back of the sofa with his arms folded over his chest, examining me with the most contemplative look on his face. "I'm trying to decide whether you're worth it," he admitted quietly. "I personally don't know what Megumi sees in you other than a nice face, but I'm sure there _has_ to be something."

I sighed and straightened out some stray papers scattered on my desk. "Then I suggest that you pull up a chair and make yourself some tea or something, because you'll be looking for a while."

And then he revealed a small smile. "You look at yourself the same way, huh?"

"I have been for half a year and I have yet to find anything."

He leaned back. "I suppose that's one good thing then. Maybe a couple hundred more years and I'll find another one."

I offered him a wiry smirk. "Good luck."

Minamoto sighed. "She's a nice girl, huh?"

I nodded. "Too forgiving for her own good. It'll get her in trouble one day." I paused. "But then again, if she wasn't as forgiving as she was, then you would be at her side, rather than me."

"Not too sure about that one," he said. "If she wasn't as forgiving, we'd still be enemies. If we look at this from a passerby human's point of view, I think this is the worst kind of trouble her forgiveness could get her in."

I shook my head again. Meeting Shinigami and Bounto, much less getting involved in a large battle that could very well decide the ending of her and her uncle's life—the worst kind of luck.

"So, in essence, Megumi would never have gotten deeply involved with us if it weren't for her own nature," I said.

"That's about the gist of it," he replied, throwing his hands behind his head. "It's a good thing she's so darn forgiving then, huh?"

"If we're being selfish, I suppose so."

"And we're _anything_ but selfish."

I smirked. "Exactly."

The boy who had declared himself a rival to me gave me a thoughtful look that only lasted a second before he broke into a wide grin. "Exactly, indeed," he nodded. He relaxed in his position, releasing a sigh. "Well, I guess you're not as boring as you first appear to be. You make decent conversation when you actually decide to talk."

"I could say the same about yourself," I replied. "When one of us isn't constantly degrading the other, guess even we can carry civil conversations."

"It's your fault for being so… degradable."

"Interesting choice of words. Who was it that beat you in that sparring match again?"

"Do it again, Dragon Boy, and you can gloat all you bloody well want," he threatened. There was laughter behind his tone though. I found it hard to keep myself from smirking at our new revelation.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but," I said, "are we actually treating each other like respectable individuals?"

He snorted at the idea. "Don't get the wrong idea, icy. I still hate your guts."

I nodded. "The feeling's mutual, naturally."

He chuckled scornfully. "You know, it's funny how both our powers are ice," he mused. "I guess I should feel some sort of deeper connection with you; but I don't, and I'm definitely not going to go seeking one out."

"Take your time."

"Oh, I will," he replied. He examined the ceiling for a second before bringing his softened gaze back to me. "I think I have a feeling why gramps decided to put me here with you."

I returned his stare. "I think I have a feeling that our guesses are too similar."

He sighed. "Which means that our wishes are about to be dashed very soon."

"That's not to say we can't still hope," I shrugged.

"I never saw you as an optimistic person," he added.

"Only when the results are extreme."

"Good point," he laughed. "You know, I was really hesitant when I thought about talking to you. Heck, I still don't know why I chose to talk to you. But it made me feel a little bit better, I guess."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what's been bothering you, then?" I asked. He gave me a surprised look. "Not that I care," I added with half-lidded eyes.

"Of course not," he grinned at me last statement. And then he stared at the ceiling again, thinking. "I wanted to be in a good mood before I went to visit her. Riana's good at the whole comforting thing, but for some reason, I didn't think I should wine to her. By the way, Riana has a thing for you too, you know."

I lowered my eyes, my House of Horrors memories filling my mind. "That was a while ago."

"It's still there," he shrugs. "She tries to hide it for Megumi's sake, but it's still there. I honestly must be missing out on something, because they both see something in you that I don't."

I shrugged. "You're going to visit her?" I asked, returning to the subject.

He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes straying to the side. "I was planning on doing it the day after you two made up, but I couldn't bring myself to. Jittery and scared and all that crap, you know? I don't like giving up. So I put it off. I haven't had a real conversation with her since Saturday."

It sounded like me. "Giving up?" I repeated. "That doesn't sound like you."

"Well… not really giving up, I guess," he admitted. The tone in his voice lowered significantly as he didn't meet my gaze. "I'm not letting her know that though. It'll depress me for a while, but as long as she's happier, I don't care anymore. If being her best friend is the closest I can get to her, I can live with that. That's not to say I'm letting you win."

It was my turn to be surprised. I had judged Minamoto Hikaru wrongly at first. It took me a while to discover the appropriate response—but a couple seconds of thought gave me the two words that brought a chuckle to his throat. "Thank you."

"Once again, I'm not doing it for you," he replied, waving off my thanks. "I hope you know that I have no intention of becoming friends, or anything even close to that, with you. If you slip up again, you're not getting any more chances." I didn't have to guess to know he was being serious.

"I have no intention of making the same mistake again." I learned my lesson. "I'll take care of her."

"I'll hold you to that, Dragon Boy."

"That's 'Hitsugaya-taichou' to you."

"You wish."

I thought about saying something, but decided against it. "Very well, Bounto. Is that all?"

He lifted off the sofa, looking more or less satisfied. "Pretty much." He stretched. "I trust that our conversation will stay in this room?"

"That depends. Do you trust me?"

He smirked. "Good point."

We exchanged glances one last time. I recognized some sort of complicated bond forming between us right then, much to my chagrin. Or was it?

"I don't like tea, by the way," he said as he got up to leave. Before he left through the door, though, he gave me another smirk over his shoulder. "Cookies and milk. Have them ready next time. Both warm, if you would be so kind."

"I'm not a warm person."

"Wouldn't hurt to ask."

And with that, he left.

As the door slid back into place, my mind wandered. After tonight, Megumi would no doubt be almost as depressed as he was going to be. At the thought, I sighed, cursing my good nature as I stood to my feet and straightened my robe. Unless my years of hands-on experience failed me, Matsumoto would be with Kira or Hisagi at the moment. Perhaps I could catch her before she became completely drunk.

I had a little favor to ask of her.

* * *

**( NAGASUKI MEGUMI )**

The sunsets here were the same as back home, too.

I stood serenely in my room in the 4th Division, using my spare time to stare out my open window and at the sun as it slowly ducked behind the mountains. The orange-yellow rays from the extravagant scene spilled onto my face and into my room, enveloping the area in a warm, homey embrace. The beautiful sight would forever be enclosed in my mind; but although my eyes were glued on it, my mind was far away.

Today is Wednesday. Two days from now I would be returning to Karakura, and I wouldn't be receiving a welcome home bash. I guess I should feel somewhat excited as well as anxious; the sooner I returned home, the sooner we could save Takuya-oji and the rest of the Bounto. But right now, I was nervous. Nervous and troubled.

Neither Hikaru nor Toushirou have talked to me since my test Saturday.

Well, Hikaru talks to me—but the conversations were very brief since he's so busy. But I haven't even seen Toushirou, much less talked to him, since his visit a few nights ago. I had managed to convince myself that Toushirou was busy managing his division and preparing for Friday, but what about Hikaru? He wouldn't tell me what, but something was bothering him—and it surprised me when I saw that distraught look on his face whenever I saw him. The look didn't suit him at all, and it's been stuck in my mind all day.

This usually happened to me—thinking, that is—after I finished my training for the day. Well, "training" wasn't a weak enough word… "chores" more or less fit what I had been doing for the past few days. Yamamoto assigned me to train with Division 4 for the remainder of my time here, but apparently training here consisted primarily of scrubbing the junk off the streets of Seireitei and wandering the intricate underground sewage. I shined the streets so well that you could see your reflection on its surface. No grimy mold would be getting on Seireitei grounds for a while.

But I guess I shouldn't whine too much about cleaning… I did learn some new things, as well. For one thing, Unohana began treating me like one of her actual Shinigami subordinates on my first day of training and I was given a 4th Division medical pack that I proudly wore on the back of my belt. Every evening she and her lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane, would give me private lessons on how to be a proper support Shinigami. I even learned some basic healing kidou, something I've wanted to learn ever since Tessai used one on me. Every day I would get up pretty early, do some chores around the division before being sent out with a partner (it was usually Hanatarou, to my relief), and come back later in the afternoon for my lessons. After that though, my evenings were pretty much free.

They were usually spent alone, unfortunately. Hikaru trains in Division 10 with Toushirou (much to my surprise—I'm shocked he hasn't killed him yet) and Riana was put in Division 2 with Soi Fon. A proper match on that part; despite personalities, Riana and Soi Fon were pretty much similar in fighting style. Soi Fon is a beautiful but vicious bumblebee; Riana is a stunning but lethal cheetah. The pairing was perfect. And the last time I saw them, they both seemed to be getting along pretty well… As much as Soi Fon could show that she was getting along with anyone, anyway. Whenever I greeted her, the response was always a nasty scowl. She hates me for some reason…

I sighed and folded my arms over the window sill, watching as the sun nearly disappeared behind the mountains. The orange and yellow rays of the sunset began to be replaced by the chilling darkness of the night. It was a majestic scene… But sadly, a scene which I couldn't appreciate the true beauty of at the moment.

There was a knock on my door, which slightly surprised me. I wasn't expecting anyone. "Come in," I called, turning to greet whoever it was. Probably Hanatarou with a snack. "Who is it—?"

Hikaru stepped inside and quietly shut the door behind him. "You know, normally people ask who the person is first before inviting them in. Proper safety procedures," he responded with a small smile.

My jaw dropped slightly. Well, I wasn't expecting _him_. Relief flooded my insides as a large grin widened over my face. "Hikaru!" I greeted, ignoring his initial response. I trotted up to him "Long time no talk! How has training been?"

He rolled his eyes and leaned against the door. "Child's play. But I have to admit that Dragon Boy's pretty strong for someone so small."

I grinned. "He is the captain, after all."I subtly examined his face, searching for the expression that has been worrying me for the past couple days. His face was void of any set emotion, but his eyes explained everything; he was thinking. Hard. Maybe he finally came to talk to me about it?

He nodded once before falling silent.

"We go back soon, huh?" he said finally.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm kind of nervous."

"Me too," he admitted. "Not that I like it here or anything." He paused for a moment, and I could imagine the wires in his brain flashing. "You know, one of the reasons I chose to follow Yasuo at first was because of how strong he is. Against his doll, my powers were useless. So I thought, if I couldn't beat them, I'd join them."

I folded my hands behind my back. That was a random piece of information—Hikaru didn't usually like to talk about that part of his past. "Do you… regret it?"

"The only thing I regret was joining him in the first place," he said with a shake of his head. "Too much innocent blood is on my hands, all for some reiatsu and immortality."

There it was—the expression on his face again. The expression that told me that he wanted to tell me something, but couldn't. It bothered me. "But you've moved on from that life, right?" I asked with a smile. "What's done is done. Just move on."

"You don't have at least fifty lives on your account," he retorted, and suddenly his voice softened. "How can you want to be best friends with a murderer?"

My brows furrowed. What got him started on this sudden reminiscing? Was it because he was in Soul Society that he was thinking of all of this?

"It's not like I'm taking death so lightly," I disclaimed, staring hard at his face. "But I don't care about that part of your past anymore, Hikaru. The person you are now is my best friend—the caring, sarcastic, and annoying brother I never had."

He caught my eyes then, and for a split second, I saw a flash of emotion that disappeared before I could identify it. Suddenly a small, wiry smile curled onto his lips. "Yeah. Annoying big brother—that's me. You're just like your mom, you know—always so unhesitant in forgiving and forgetting."

I didn't really know what else to do but smile. After a moment, I took my chances and stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his arm. He looked at it, and then at me. "I don't know what's bothering you, but cheer up, okay? Frowns don't look good on you," I smiled. When he did nothing but stare at me, I pouted. Using my thumbs, I picked up the corners of his mouth into an amusing smile-thing. "Smile!" I said, flashing him a toothy grin.

Finally he receded, giving me a small chuckle. "How's this?" he asked, giving me a big smile.

I laughed and nodded. "That's _much_ better."

It only lasted for a second though before it faded away. It was like watching a sunset—the warm rays of his smile gradually fell to be replaced by a cold frown. It made me follow in suit. I wish the sun would stay up longer…

And there Hikaru stood, leaning against the door and gazing at me as if I was the cause of all his troubles. I racked my brain for reasons that would lead to him being so sad… Have I done anything? Did I do something to upset him? Did he have a rough day at training? Did he hear a bad rumor about himself? What?

I did nothing but gaze back at him, thinking up the most outrageous reasons as to why he'd be mad at me. Suddenly he shifted, surprising me with his movement.

Before I could read his movements, Hikaru grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a strong, firm embrace, closing every space possible between us. It took a couple seconds for me to realize that he was hugging me, but my body was still stiff and my brain had utterly scattered. The thing that was bothering him must have really been bugging him for him to act this way. Hikaru is a tough guy—he doesn't go crying on other people's shoulders when he had a problem. He always faced them himself; so for him to come to me like this really threw me. I didn't know how to react.

Who had done this to him?

Gradually my body relaxed under his grip—it was tight, as if he was holding onto life itself—and slowly wrapped my arms around his torso, resting my head on his shoulder as he dropped his on mine. This hug was different from any other hug he'd given me. The grip was so tight, so desperate… as if he was going to lose me. The thought baffled me. Did he think something bad was going to happen?

Now super worried, my embrace subconsciously tightened. "What's wrong?" I asked, concern dripping from my tone.

He didn't answer immediately, which only worried me more. What could have happened that made him act this way? I've never seen him like this before. I was about to pull away and ask him again, before I was interrupted by a small sigh. His warm breath brushed against the tip of my ear, sending shivers down my spine. His voice was low as he replied.

"I love you, Megumi."

Several seconds passed before I realized I had been holding my breath. When I released it, it was a shaky, unsure breath. Did I just hear him right? I struggled to pull back so I could see his face and eyes, but he wouldn't let me. He kept me locked there in his arms. "Wh-What?" I managed, my heart beat accelerating a hundred a mile.

"I'm in love with you," he repeated, his grip around my shoulders tightening slightly. His voice was soft and sincere. "I always have been."

There were a couple moments of intense silence.

And then the reality of his words dropped into my head like a house on an ant. My brain scrambled for words, for actions, for motions, anything I could use—but there was nothing I could get a firm grip on. No—he was kidding. He always did this to me; pretend to like me and be jealous whenever Toushirou was involved. He was trying to cover up whatever it was he was hiding by saying that… right?

Finally Raiuta spoke to me. I had momentarily forgotten about her. That's how scattered I was.

_( Gumi-chan… ) _she started sadly. _( Hikaru's a good actor, but he can't hold you and say that he loves you like that and not mean it. )_

'_R-Raiuta?'_

_( He's telling the truth, Gumi-chan. He's always loved you—all the times he displayed those feelings and you thought he was kidding were all real. )_

I shut my eyes.

No. It can't be possible.

Why would he love _me_?

But Raiuta was right. There was no trace of trickery or deception in his tone; heck, his arms were trembling on my spine. But he couldn't… I can't… He already knows that I…

The realization dawned on me like New Year's.

This is what had been bothering him. It was because of me. But I didn't know… I had no idea that he would…

I couldn't even bring myself to say it.

"H-Hikaru," I stammered, unsure of where the words came from or where I had grabbed them. Did he really mean it? Would Hikaru really joke like this? No—he couldn't be. Not when his tone was like that. So sincere, dipped in sorrow… as if he was saying goodbye to me. I shut my eyes, blocking out his hair as I tried to free myself from his grip. "I-I'm sorry, I can't—"

It didn't take much effort for him to switch our positions. In less than a second, my back was against the door and he was sandwiching me against it, effectively hampering any attempt I made to escape.

"I know," he murmured quietly, the tone of his voice assuring. "I know you love him. I told you he's always loved you, too."

I stopped struggling, my eyes opening wide.

His voice shook slightly as he rested his head right next to mine. "Just let me get this hug in. It's helping me feel better." I swallowed back tears as I hugged him tighter, clutching the fabric of his kimono between my fingers. My fault—this was all my fault.

After what seemed like hours, Hikaru gently pushed me back, a small grin on his face—a true, genuine smile. His bigger hands firmly gripped my shoulders, but he removed one to brush at my tears. Stupid tears betrayed me. "I don't see what you see in that little punk, but I know he's an okay guy. That doesn't mean I'm happy with letting him have you, though," he admitted with an ironic curve of his lip. "If he gets to be the prince charming, though, I want to be the angel. You don't always know he's there, but he is—and is always looking out for you, no matter what happens."

I was sobbing pathetically now as he spoke, the true sorrow of this revelation occurring to me. "I'm sorry, Hikaru—I'm so, so sorry…" I whimpered.

"No you're not," he huffed, although he was smiling. "You love him, don't you?"

I nodded sadly.

He smiled at me, despite how much of a mess I am now. "Hey, stop crying. You're bruising my ego," he said.

"It's not like I enjoy crying," I murmured, wiping at my face. Finally, when I had settled down enough to see clearly, I directed my eyes into his. "We'll always be best friends, Hikaru. Nothing or no one can change that," I promised.

He tilted his head a little, the little grin still present on his face. He held out his pinky to me. "Promise?"

I eagerly grabbed it with my own. "Cross my heart."

He looked satisfied. "Good."

I stared at him for a moment before throwing myself onto him, my arms flying around his neck as I cried into his chest. Hikaru gently returned my embrace, although not as urgently and desperately as he had before. "After the battle, I'm going to drink that little miracle potion of yours and get transferred here," he whispered to me. "And then I'll become a Shinigami and continue to watch over you… forever."

I sniffed, pleased with his promise. "Until the end, huh?"

He chuckled. "And even afterwards."

Hikaru and Riana—they both had been with me since the beginning, even before this whole Shinigami-Bounto business came to light. Hikaru was always there for me; comforting me, protecting me, rebuking me, loving me… and I haven't given him or Riana the amount of thanks they deserved. How could I have almost failed my test on Saturday and end up losing them? I'm so selfish…

"I love you, Hikaru," I murmured sincerely. "Thank you for everything… And I'm sorry."

He nodded into my shoulder. "I know. I love you."

The moon had watched us the entire time, throwing its comforting, cool silver rays into the room and casting an ethereal glow on the boy in my arms. Silent tears slid down my face as I realized, for the first time, the importance of my friends—and how so easily I took them for granted. But not anymore.

"Did I tell you what my New Year's resolution was, Hikaru?" I asked him, although I knew the answer. I haven't told anyone what my resolution was—not Toushirou or Takuya-oji. Not even Raiuta.

"'Was'? Have you broken it?" he asked.

"I've kept it, actually," I admitted proudly. "I promised myself that I would discover who it was that would always stand by me, no matter what pain or suffering I put them through or how much I overlooked them." I paused and squeezed him tighter. "This angel of mine has been with me ever since I was a little girl, barely able to think or fend for myself. He's been there for me through the thick and thin and has never let me down—even when I doubted him, took him for granted, hurt him, and fell in love with his enemy." A small, grateful smile broke out onto my lips as I said, "Actually, like always, he's here with me right now against all odds and all logic; and I'm not letting him go, ever."

He laughed lightly a few seconds afterward, a sweet tune that hung in the air. "That was pretty good. You should write a book someday," he said.

"If I ever published a biography, I'd be placed in a mental institution for the rest of my life," I replied pointedly through my tears.

"Yeah… and I would… follow you there, too…"

It took me a few seconds to register that the trembling of his body, his shaking arms, and the consistent tear drops that trickled onto my shoulder had disrupted his sentence.

I held him there, basking in his and my mutual sorrow, and the moon continued to give us brighter rays, the stars twinkling and encouraging us on.

"Hikaru?"

"Hmm?"

"You're the best."

* * *

_Ending Theme__: "Laugh Away" by YUI_

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so this chapter was MUCH longer than I intended it to be… but hey, I enjoyed it very intensely if you didn't! Actually, I was crying so hard when I was writing this… it has to be the saddest/sweetest thing I've ever written. I always put my heart into my chapters, but this one took it especially… so I hope you enjoyed it, despite it being a "filler chapter."

Anyways, I think Hikaru deserves a chapter that focuses on him. You know, when I first made him, he wasn't going to be a Bounto. He was just going to be Megumi's initial crush until Toushirou came along, and then he was supposed to go bye-bye. But I kept him as I continued to write about him… and eventually, I fell in love with him Hikaru is such a sweetie, so yeah, I gave him a chapter to star personally in. :) And I must say, I'm glad how it turned out. I hope you all felt the heart that I had put in while writing this!

And I'm sorry to say… but there will be one more "filler" chapter before I jump back into the plot. I wanted to try out an idea that's been on my mind for a while now. Sorry! I have to take advantage of Megumi's placement in Soul Society while I can! ;)

And I wanted to thank you all for being so supportive of my decision to abandon a sequel. I'm as sorry and sad as you guys are about it, but it would be for the best. That's not to say I give up on the story—heaven's, no. Megumi, Hikaru, and Riana would never forgive me if I just leave them like that. :P So afterwards I'm probably going to write a one-shot or two, and then a series of one-shots related to post-Furareta adventures. :) And maybe if schoolwork lightens up, I'll even start the sequel up again! You never know.

Thank you all for your endless encouragement and support throughout the entire story… You all have been amazing to me. Do you know that you guys have given my almost 3,000 reviews? I don't deserve _half_ that much, yet you guys gave them to me. Thank you SO MUCH. If it weren't for you, I would have given up on the story long ago and I wouldn't have fallen in love with the characters—both original and canon—as much as you have. Thank you, sincerely.

And special thanks to:

**Dragon of Twilight, D R A G O N L I L I E S, Satupilvi, HeadstrongNozomi, steel-alchemist, viettvnt, iLoVE, Naruto-Lover227, FrozenIceCream, Ereana, BionicLemon, Onepiecewonder, RubberduckzillaAndShuuhei, hitsugayaXOX, AkatsukiKandaFangirl, icedragon205, Banalaya, KurokamiHaruhi, Ikara-o-Kage, jennyz, Orangesz, Emkhya, Kosa Kinoshita, ShyandNotAfraid, ember-chan, Shanni-chan, xxIcy, Akaneblossoms, Mari Ferolla, dokuki, My Ashland, -lazy llama-, Phoenix and Fire, aminea88, indigoia, I'm a Reader, jazzmin92, StolenAce, darkheart1992, hellogoodbyexx, LadyAmazon, Babbesyo, crystalstar83, frowninggivesyouwrinkles, CRdragonPyro, pinkatailmon, BlackWingzObi, .Oblivious, ai-bleach, NamineNasha, Morbid Mello, kaito142, Mina Luriya, Morijun, Serena Lockhart, Mai, erina destiny, -Not, Mournful Storms, paralysistracks, Kukino3, Oshima zakura, hyourin-kusabana, iv, Naishou, joster13, Sportin' Purple Neck Pillows, CrieLaw13, TheKingJingles, flora236, triggerspec, EternalxOblivion, poopiness, FailedWriter, Hikari6007, fanny-kun, Kouyan, , itsmrshitsugayatoyou(censored), Uchiha Sasha, NeferNeferi, Julie013, ReimeiNoAkatsuki, SunsetRainbow, Melodicxstar, KizunaCho, .Shinigami, Themis~, aoitsuki77, Mel, Mirando a las Estrellas, THANK YOU SO MUCH.**

**All of you mean so much to me—thank you for your support. :) I look forward to hearing from all of you!**

And stay tuned for the next chapter! Filler or not, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! :)

Signing out,  
Bayo – Bayo!

PS: And for all of you who are still wondering… I'm a girl. :D


	54. PLEASE READ

Dear Readers,

Hey ya'll, it's me! Bayo, of course. Who else would it be? :)

So you must be wondering why I'm writing an author's note-thingy to you. I won't waste your time and go straight to the point.

As much as it pains me and disappoints me to say it… I won't be continuing Furareta starting now. :( I know that's something none of you want to here, but I thought it better to actually warn you rather than just… abandon the story and have you guys hang on to false hope. I love you guys too much to do something like that. My reasons are complicated, but serious enough, I assure you… And because of those reasons, I can't keep writing Furareta. I'm sorry everyone for doing this to you. :(

I want to thank _every single one of you_ for supporting me to the end. So many of you have encouraged me and stuck by my side the entire time, and for that, I am extremely grateful. What happens now is just pure conjecture, but I hope that months from now you all will still be able to look at Furareta as a story that you once loved. Thank you so much for everything. :) You all are the best readers and reviewers that any author, official or not, could have.

Once again, I'm sorry for doing this. I doubt I'll be doing anything related to Furareta (or ) in the future. I know I left it at one of the most climatic spots in the story, and I know I'm horrible and mean and a jerk... So I'll tell you what happens. Let's just say that after Riana tells Toushirou to take care of Megumi, Megumi&co. and Shinigami go back to Karakura and fight a long, hard battle. Megumi is able to save most of the Bounto who were willing to revert back to human form, and heals Yasuo and Romeo in the end, ultimately killing them. Takuya-oji is safe and is mind-wiped of the events. Following particular dramatic events, Megumi, Hikaru and Riana go back to Seireitei for a meeting. Yamamoto desires for the Minamoto siblings to become Shinigami, to which they agree. They and Megumi share a sad goodbye (Hikaru and Riana will forget ever meeting her, since they will now use her cure to enter Soul Society legally), although promising that eventually they will become friends once again. Before being cured, however, Hikaru steals one last kiss from Megumi before disappearing from the presence of a fuming Toushirou.

Yamamoto has developed a small liking for Megumi, and decides that she can become an official substitute Shinigami—a stationed nurse in the human world. However, her relationship with Toushirou is still in a haze. Now in her room, Toushirou asks Megumi to wait for him for one year, and of course she promises that she will.

One year later, Megumi is now sixteen. She had been training with Yoruichi still, and is learning shunko under her watch. Toushirou returns after one year of absence, and fills her in on the Seireitei scoop. Hikaru and Riana were granted immediate entry into the Academy the day after their death and are now officers in Gotei 13—Riana under Soi Fon and Hikaru under Toushirou. Apparently, Riana and Hanatarou are getting along quite well; and, must to his chagrin, Hikaru and Momo are becoming very friendly.

As for the status of Megumi and his own relationship, Yamamoto has allowed them a very DL relationship. Toushirou had been working directly under Yamamoto as a sort of servant-busboy for the past year (also juggling that with his own captain responsibilities), to prove his dedication to Megumi (of course he doesn't tell her this). They can only see each other under official business, but they no longer have to hide their relationship.

Happy ever after.

That's where Furareta ends. I feel so bad for having to tell it to you this way, but it's the only way. :( The one-shot I was planning to write contained Toushirou taking Megumi to meet his grandmother after she dies (drunk driver) and proposing to her there on the roof of his old home.

I love you all… and I wish the best for you. Thank you for everything. :) Please understand that doing this is the only way for me.

Love forever and ever,  
Bayo – Bayo


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